A series of events that led to one end
by chquine-harvinellisse
Summary: A manager who thinks boys are thick-headed, a pretty girl who every boy thinks is too good for them, a brokenhearted cook; a scholar who has no time for fluffy romance stuff, put them all together and what do you get? Visit Crest cafe to find out.
1. The Cafe

**New story!**

**It came to me on a whim, specifically while I was washing the dishes… =D**

**And here I was thinking that I wasn't going to write another Bakugan fic for a while…**

**And I also thought that I wouldn't write three consecutive fics at the same time, but then again, Exedra's apprentice is one chapter to completion… =D**

**Also this is AU (wow I used that term!)**

**Can anyone do the disclaimer for me?**

**Philo: I will!**

**Fire away!**

**Philo: chquine-harvinellisse does not own Bakugan or anything or anyone associated to it…**

**I own you though… =D**

**Philo: Yeah… sure…**

* * *

><p>Chapter 1<p>

The Café

A blue-haired girl who sat behind the cashier sighed. She took off her pig tails and smoothed her hair. She looked down at herself and grimaced at the maid uniform she was wearing.

"Seriously, why do I have to wear this outfit?" she said exasperatedly.

A silver haired tan girl came out of the kitchen wearing the same maid uniform identical to the blue haired cashier but she wore rollerblades instead of flats.

"Stop complaining," She chided, "Marucho did such a nice job of getting this for us…" she added, referring to the cashier's brother.

"Easy for you to say…"

"Brighten up Runo!" the bubbly other girl said.

The cashier, Runo Misaki, stood up and said, "Look at this outfit! It's too short! How can I brighten up at that, huh Julie?"

The silver haired girl, Julie Makimoto, waved her hand dismissively and said "That's just like the skirt we wore when we were still in school…"

Another girl came out of the kitchen door, she was pale-skinned and flowing orange hair, like Julie, she wore rollerblades in addition to the maid uniform that they shared.

Julie turned to the new girl and said, "Alice, tell Runo that she looks just fine."

The new girl, Alice Gehabich, sat on a stool and proceeded to remove her rollerblades and chuckled, "Runo you look cute in that outfit…"

Julie snickered, "You're too honest Alice…"

Runo growled, "Marucho's dead when he sets foot on Tokyo!"

"I don't think Marucho's coming back anytime soon…" Alice said, "I heard that he's been having some difficulties in Paris…"

"You shouldn't be so hard on him, Runo…" Julie scolded, "After all, he was kind enough to adopt you when your parents died…"

Runo bit her lip and nodded. Marucho and the Marakura family have been very kind to her; they even went as far as giving her a café to help her support her home schooling.

"Fine…" Runo gave up, "I'll live with this…"

"Runo," called another voice from the kitchen "We're out of tomatoes…"

Runo combed her hair and said, "I asked Chan to buy some on her way here…"

Another girl peeked out of the kitchen, like Alice, she had orange hair, but was shorter in comparison. Like the rest of them, she also wore the maid uniform.

"Isn't Chan back from school yet?" asked the orange-haired girl

Runo shook her head as she tied her hair in her usual pigtails again, "She has shortened periods today, so we can open by noon…"

"What were you doing Mira?" Alice asked to the other orange-haired girl.

"I was just trying to remake that recipe that you taught me the other day…" the one Alice called Mira replied.

"Wow you're really into this café business aren't you, Mira?" teased Julie as she winked.

"I just wanted to learn how to cook…" Mira defended and she went back to the kitchen.

Julie sighed dreamily as she leaned her cheek against her palm and sat down, "I'm so glad she's all over the crying about the break up part…"

Runo shushed Julie angrily, "Julie! We weren't supposed to mention that right?"

"Oh come on!" Julie's head turned to Runo and said, "It was such a long time ago since Mira broke up with…"

"I heard that Julie!" Mira shouted venomously.

Alice chuckled and turned to the clock, "Chan should be here soon…"

Mira came out again, but was wearing roller blades this time, "Why did Chan choose to stay in a normal school?"

"That's because she's a scholar," replied Runo, "Plus she's a varsity in their school…"

"No fair!" exclaimed Julie, "She should be home schooled like us!"

"Chan rejected the idea from the very beginning…" Alice said, "She said that she didn't want to become a weight to the Marakura family…"

"Yeah, and besides she can handle being a student and a cook at the same time so it's not a problem…" Runo said with a wave of her hand.

The bell chimed; it signaled that the door was opened; by it stood a girl with indigo hair. She was wearing a sailor collared uniform with a purple ribbon. Her collar was an exquisite shade of crimson with white linings. She also wore a red skirt, knee high socks and brown shoes.

At her back was a black backpack and on both of her arms were two brown grocery bags.

Runo smiled at the girl and greeted, "Hi Chan!"

The girl, Chan, nodded as she placed the bags aside. She turned to the others and said, "Sorry I'm late… Sensei won't let me out without a warm up."

Julie started bawling, "Aw… Why do you have to go to school when you can join us at weekends?"

Chan turned to the melancholic girl and replied, "Sorry Julie, but the scholarship was too irresistible…"

"Chances are, Chan will get to a University for college…" Alice added.

Chan dug her hand into the grocery bag and took out a plump tomato. She threw it towards Mira who caught it perfectly.

"I assume you needed them?" the indigo haired girl asked with a wink.

"Thanks," was Mira's reply before she disappeared into the kitchen.

Alice stretched out her arms and said, "The opening's about to start right?"

"Yup and I'm sure many people will line up here…" Runo said enthusiastically.

"Are you sure this will work?" asked Chan skeptically as she picked up the grocery bags, "I mean there are only five of us girls in here… Julie and Alice are the waitresses, Mira and I are the kitchen staff and Runo's the cashier."

"Well, the cashier doesn't have to be _that_ heavily guarded…" Runo said, "So I can help as a waitress when needed…"

"And besides the café's not that big so we can manage…" Alice added.

"Chan!" called Mira from the kitchen, "Your uniform is in here so get changed…"

Said girl rushed into the kitchen along with the grocery bags she picked up. She almost shrieked when she saw what her uniform was supposed to be.

Mira held up the hanger that held Chan's maid uniform, "Well?" She impatiently asked with a smirk, "Put it on. The opening starts in fifteen minutes."

Chan smiled sheepishly, "Uhh… I'll pass… That'll get soiled if I wear that while washing the dishes…" she improvised

_I cannot imagine myself wearing that kind of clothing!_

"Nope!" was Runo's reply as she peeked in, "You still have to wear that!"

"WHAT?" Chan was mortified.

"Hurry up and wear that or we'll put it on you ourselves…" Julie said in a very threatening and yet seemingly angelic voice.

"J—Julie!" Alice tried to keep her embarrassment, but it was evident enough in her voice.

Chan sighed and tried t weigh the situation. And according her deductions, the chance of evading wearing this kind of clothing is completely impossible.

She sighed and went to the dressing room to change.

"I'm so jealous of Chan…" Julie said

"Why?" asked Alice

"Because she goes to a school!" Julie replied exasperatedly, "And you know what schools have that we don't?"

"What?" this time it was Runo who asked

"BOYS!" Julie gleefully said.

It took everything the blue haired cashier slash manager had to not hit Julie on the head.

"But I thought you already had a boyfriend, Julie…" Alice voiced out.

"Exactly!" Runo snapped her fingers, "Why would you go boy hunting if you already have a boyfriend?"

Julie suddenly raised her head and turned to Alice and Runo angrily, "Not for me numbskulls! For you! Who knows? Mira might find a replacement for that creep who…"

"SAY ANYTHING MORE AND I"LL CUT YOU TO PIECES!" Mira menacingly shouted from the kitchen

Julie covered her mouth and shouted, "Sorry!"

Runo stared at Julie; bored was the right word to describe her face, "Yeah so?"

Julie was saddened by Runo's lack of enthusiasm, "Come on Runo! Show some spirit! Do you really plan to grow old managing the Crest Café?"

Runo propped her elbow on the table and placed her chin on her palm, "Personally I wouldn't mind…"

"What? Why?"

"Because boys are thickheads!" Runo replied strongly, "If I'm gonna find a guy who's so open-minded and caring then I'll reconsider…"

Julie turned to Alice since Runo didn't seem to be the least interested in the topic, "What about you Alice? I heard you had many guys asking you out…"

Said girl shifted uneasily, "I wouldn't say that… I had a lot of admirers, but no one had the nerve to ask me out…"

Julie and Runo's eyes widened, "You mean…" Runo started, "No one's asked you out yet?"

Alice nodded, "They just seem t be content with just looking at me…"

"That's because they know you're too good for them," concluded Julie, "What you need is someone who matches you in many ways imaginable…"

"Since when did you become a match-maker?" asked Mira who came out carrying a tray of pasta.

Ignoring her question, Runo asked "Wow did you cook that Mira?"

Mira nodded proudly, "I made it especially for the opening." She set the plate down and a stomach-enticing aroma invaded their nostrils.

"It smells delicious!" Alice exclaimed.

"Well you _were _the one who taught me how to do it, Alice."

"Hey where's Chan?" asked Julie

"Still in the dressing room," replied Mira as she raised an eyebrow, "Why are you going to play match-maker for her too? Don't bother; she's more focused on her scholarship unlike some people I know…"

"You're so mean Mira…" Julie said in a fake hurt voice

"Chan!" shouted Runo, "How long does it take for you to dress up? Speed it up will you?"

"Coming…" came the feeble and somewhat annoyed voice.

Chan came out wearing the maid uniform. She was disgusted by it as shown on her face.

"It fits you perfectly!" squealed Julie, "You look so cute!"

Chan made her way to the table, "It's so hard to move in this! How am I going to wash the dishes with this?"

"Oh come on Chan, you look really cute in that…" Alice tried to console her.

"Gee thanks Alice…" Chan said sarcastically.

"What you need is some of this…" Mira said as her hand trailed behind Chan's head and pulled off the pink ribbon that kept her hair in a neat ponytail.

Chan fell rigid as she felt her hair graze her shoulders. She never let her hair down because she felt embarrassed by it.

"There you look so much cuter…" Julie said as Runo gave her a thumb up and Alice smiled approvingly.

All heads turned to the door when the bell started clanging. The bell was their means of finding out if there was someone inside the café.

By the door stood a masked blonde, whose hair was impossibly raised above his head. He was wearing his casual clothes, a pair of jeans and a plain shirt. He was Alice's brother.

"Onii-sama, what are you doing here?" asked Alice

"Yeah, the opening doesn't start until after fifteen minutes…" Runo said as she glanced pointedly at the wall clock.

He chuckled and said, "Well I wanted to be the first customer of the Crest café…" his eyes fell on Chan in particular, "Is that Chan?" he took steps towards her.

"One more step and you're history, Masquerade…" Chan said venomously. Personally she had nothing against Alice's brother, but she knew how much he loved making fun of her and her habits.

"Sorry… Sorry…" Masquerade said with a smirk.

"So here's the ever supportive brother," Julie said dreamily.

"Before you celebrate anything," Masquerade said as he reached for his bag on his back and took out a camera, "How about commemorating this moment with a picture?"

The lively atmosphere came back (all except for Chan of course). The girls sat down and smiled at the camera.

"Smiling for this photo won't kill you right?" Mira asked as she turned to Chan who was beside her.

The said girl just rolled her eyes.

Masquerade positioned the camera and counted, "1, 2, say 'KAWAII'."

"KAWAII!" all five said in unison.

* * *

><p><strong>And that's a wrap!<strong>

**I don't have much time so…**

**Please feel free to convey your deepest darkest thoughts regarding this fic as it is greatly appreciated… =D**

**chquine_harvinellisse**


	2. Thickheaded boys

**I'm back!**

**This is the first really serious romance fic I've ever written**

**First and foremost, I would like to thank the sole REVIEWER, JennaRinslet11, thank you so very much!**

**And yes I am a fan of those pairings, though Julie won't be given that much of attention because I have no idea how to handle her kind of situation… =D**

**Anyway on with it! =D**

* * *

><p>Chapter 2<p>

Thickheaded boys

Runo sighed as she loosened her apron. The opening was quite successful; a lot of people came on the first day.

It was tedious and hazardous for them at first, but as a week passed, they finally got used to it.

Runo yawned and complained, "I'm tired… Can't we take the rest of the day off?"

"For a manager, you sure seem lax…" Mira raised an eyebrow at her.

Runo puffed out, "I can't help it! Do you have any idea how stressful this is?"

Truly, being a manager at such a young age required much understanding and skill in sale's talk. It also required experience, something that she was still on the process of acquiring. She had to spend a few sleepless nights just to be able to close the delivery time the next day. Whenever something went wrong or there was a significant ingredient missing, she had to compromise and makes the ends meet one another.

"Runo," called the other red head as she walked out of the kitchen, "have you finished the assignment out tutors gave us?"

Runo's eyes widened, "What assignment?"

"Don't tell me you forgot…" Alice said worriedly, "The one in our literature class…"

Runo smacked her face and said, "I totally forgot all about it!"

"You still have a day left to finish it…" Alice said as she tried to cheer Runo up, "It's just a poetic two-line verse… It's nothing hard…"

"Easy for you to say…" Runo said sarcastically "I'm not a gifted student as you are you know…"

Alice smiled sheepishly, "I'm sure you can do it Runo… All you need is a good subject and before you know it, all of the ideas will come bursting out…"

_A good subject… A good subject…_

She looked around in an attempt to look for a suitable and productive subject. The café was full of antique paintings that adorned the walls since Marucho and his parents alike were very fond of paintings.

She looked at the intricate designs on one portion of the wall. She even turned to the photograph of them that Masquerade took a week past.

She pulled on her pigtails and groaned in frustration.

"UGH! THIS IS HOPELESS!" she shouted.

"You just need time that's all…" Alice said comfortingly.

"I don't have time…" Runo said helplessly, "Let's face it, I'm going to flunk this year!"

"Don't say that Runo…" Mira said as she too tried to console the seemingly helpless blue-haired girl.

Runo pulled herself together and tried searching for a possible source of inspiration, but to her dismay nothing came to mind.

They were on their lunch break so they decided to seek counsel from the expert that goes by the name of Chan.

"Well first things first," Chan started as she tied her hair in her usual ponytail, "What captures your attention the most?"

Runo considered the question for a while. She thought about it thoroughly.

All eyes were on her anxiously as she seemed to be caught in her deep state of thinking. The tension was so thick; breathing was almost illogical.

Runo squinted her eyes and tried to think desperately.

She opened her mouth and the anxious tension rose even more.

"Actually… Nothing captures my attention…"

And just like that the tension evaporated like water under intense heat.

Julie stretched out her hand and socked Runo harshly.

Runo's complains were flooded by Julie's personal train of complains, "That was a dumb thing to do! And all this time we thought you were actually concentrating!"

"Well I'm sorry if I'm not the type who's so fond of concentrating Julie…" Runo retorted.

Chan placed a hand on her chin thoughtfully, "Well there must be something that can hopefully stimulate your mind… Maybe what you need is a keyword of that thing that can awaken your sub consciousness…"

"Yeah but there are so many words to choose from…" Mira said, "And with the way Runo's mind works, who knows what kind of outlandish word that is?"

"Gee thanks Mira…" Runo said half sarcastically and half hurt.

"Well if it's any consolation, maybe it has something to do with the things associated to you…" Chan said, but apparently it wasn't that much of a consolation.

"And how will that help genius?" Julie asked in an irritated tone.

The Chinese scholar retorted in a deadlier tone, "Of course we'll know if she reacts Pin Peapod!"

Julie hid behind Mira and bawled, "Mira! Chan's being mean to me…"

"It should have been obvious Julie…" Mira said taking Chan's side.

Julie pouted, "Wow you guys are real friends!"

"Well complaining won't get us anywhere Julie!" Runo snapped in the conversation then, "It might fail, but let's give it a shot…"

Mira was the one who started, "Money?"

Runo pondered for a while, like the word needed to register in her mind first before she could come up with a decision.

She finally shook her head.

"Cashier?" Alice offered

It took Runo a shorter time to respond with a shiver. Apparently she loathed the mere word in existence itself.

"What about maid outfits?" Julie suggested

They all cast their eyes on her incredulously.

"What?" Julie innocently shrugged, "She wears them almost everyday without protest… And besides I'm doing my fair share too you know…"

Runo chuckled and said, "Sorry Julie… But that isn't the kind of thing that can stimulate my mood."

Despite the fact that Julie was being treated like that, she really didn't mind. She knew how much her friends loved her and she took their reactions as criticisms.

They spent the next half hour making wild guesses about the word that can hopefully stimulate Runo's mind and help her get kicking. But they also wasted the half hour; produced no result whatsoever.

"Well we've tried all words that are closely associated to Runo," Alice said, "But so far nothing worked…"

Runo slumped over the cashier as she put on her apron and said, "Well it's no use brooding over it anymore…"

"Maybe we can try again later…" Chan said as she paused at the doorway that led to the kitchen, "Or if things really get desperate, I might consider doing it for you…" she added somewhat halfheartedly.

Runo looked up and smiled appreciatively, "Thanks Chan, but I'm sure my tutor will notice that it wasn't me who did the assignment if you do it for me…"

_I mean, Chan's so good at every subject…_

_Compared with hers, my work isn't even second rate…_

"Brighten up Runo!" Julie gave Runo a playful pat on the back and said, "You'll find that mystery word, I'm sure of it…"

Runo smiled too.

_I hope so…_

With only five minutes of their lunch break left to spare, Runo combed her pigtails and arranged herself.

Then the door suddenly opened and the bell started clanging; by the door again stood Alice's brother, Masquerade.

"Why is it that you always come during our lunchtime?" asked Runo as she turned to the older blonde, "And with only five minutes left to spare?"

Masquerade smirked as he took a chair close to the window, "I just wanted to be the first customer after your lunch break…"

Alice suddenly popped in, "Are you sure it isn't because you were watching someone eat lunch, nii-sama?"

At that instant, the blonde became rigid. Julie smirked knowingly, "Oh does Masky have a girlfriend now?"

"Shut up Julie…" said boy snapped while a visible tint of pink.

"Ooh look he's blushing…" Mira pointed out with her index finger as she snickered.

Chan, who was situated in the kitchen, also came out with curiosity written all over her face, "The scary brother is blushing?"

Soon the café was filled with chuckles, laughs, and teases.

"Shut up!" snapped the older blonde

"Sorry… Sorry…" said Runo as she tried to stifle her laughter, "It's just that seeing you blush is such a rare occurrence…"

Masquerade turned away from them and muttered, "And you call this service?"

Since there was only a few more minutes remaining of their spare time, the ladies decided to go on with their ceremonies before working. They left the older blonde to muse in silence.

But of course, Julie's mischievousness got the best of her and she asked Alice, "So what's the girl's name?"

Masquerade's ear figuratively twitched when he heard the conversation. He cursed under his breath.

_Alice if you dare say even her first name I am going to kill you!_

Alice giggled.

Masquerade's breath got stuck on his throat.

"Her name is…"

Before Alice could say another word, Masquerade stood up and left.

"I'll just have pancakes for lunch!" he shouted as he paused by the doorway, "Let's see if your conscience can take that, _urusai imoto_!" (Italicized words meant 'annoying younger sister')

As he slammed the door behind him, the laughter of the girls filled the air.

"I didn't think he was the foul-mouthed type…" Mira said giggling, "Especially not towards Alice…"

Alice shook her head, "He only acts like that around me actually…"

"Looks like you hit a raw nerve there, Alice…" Runo added.

"I always do…" Alice giggled

"So what is her name?" asked Julie excitedly.

The orange haired girl merely shrugged, "Ask him…"

The threesome gave their shares of unsatisfied grunts.

Runo glanced at the watch and saw that they should open the café already. It was a Saturday and people came in by the dozens during that day.

As the afternoon wore off, Runo had less and less time to worry about her literature assignment.

It was almost four in the afternoon when a certain brunette and his raven-haired friend entered the café. There were still plenty of people inside the café and Alice and Julie pretty much had their hands full on a few customers that ordered second helpings or desserts, though they could still handle the people quite well so Runo sat back at the cash register.

"So Shun are you hungry?" asked the brunette who wore a yellow shirt under a red jacket whose sleeved were rolled up to his elbows, black slacks and rubber soles. His brown hair was also slightly damp, either meaning that he played before entering the café or he ran all the way to where he was now.

The other guy he called 'Shun' had jet black hair that reached to his shoulders; something about his hair said that he definitely had it long before. He wore a teal vest over a white shirt and like the brunette; he wore black slacks and rubber soles.

He seemed annoyed and said, "I told you a million times before Dan, I'm not hungry!"

"Oh come on!" the brunette, Dan gave an airy wave of his hand, "We just royally kicked those guys' butts there's no way you're not hungry! And I heard from one of the seniors that the food here's good."

Runo noticed the duo that was in the way of the door and apparently her as well.

Despite the fact that she was initially furious, she tried to keep her cool and remain as polite as possible, "Excuse me, but you're in the way…"

Dan turned to her; he had reddish brown eyes and a goofy expression on his face.

_Ugh… This guy's an idiot… I can feel it…_

"Sorry…" Shun said apologetically.

He pushed Dan to a table at the far back.

Julie maneuvered her way to them in her rollerblades and handed them a menu each before she made her way to another table to give them their orders.

Dan eagerly looked into the menu while Shun tapped his finger impatiently on the table.

Dan raised his hand and Alice immediately rushed there, "May I take your order sir?"

"Yeah, I'll have some curry rice, baked potatoes and a chocolate milkshake please," said Dan.

Alice jotted down what Dan said and turned to Shun.

But before she could raise her question, Shun asked, "Where's the comfort room?"

Alice pointed to the door at the far left, "That one sir."

"Thanks," was Shun's last word before he went to the comfort room.

"Just take his order later…" Dan said with a friendly smile, "In the meantime can you take mine?"

Alice nodded and wheeled her way to the kitchen to give Dan's orders.

After a few more minutes or so, Dan's order arrived. Surprisingly, the order first as Shun was still inside the comfort room.

No sooner than when the plate touched the table, Dan began to eagerly spoon out the contents of the curry rice.

Runo watched him somewhat disgusted.

_Ugh… I knew it… He's an idiot and a glutton!_

The last batch of customers finished their meal and paid for it. One of them, a guy in particular began to ask for Runo's number.

"Sorry," Runo said smugly, "I don't have the time to talk to you…"

"Oh come on…" the guy said as he flashed his perfectly white teeth in front of her, "Being friends with a customer never hurt anyone right?"

"Go find someone else to irritate!" Runo snapped

The boy grabbed her wrist tightly and smirked this time, "Come on… You know you want to…"

Runo, not being a typical damsel in distress smiled sweetly before she pinched his ear and shouted into it, "GET LOST CREEP!"

His grip on her wrist loosened so Runo took the opportunity to grab and twist it painfully.

After the boy realized that he had no more hope, he muttered curses before he joined his companions outside.

After finishing his baked potatoes, Dan, having a soft spot for pudding, ordered a Pudding Trio, it was their specialty.

Not long after scooping the last vanilla flavored pudding, Dan asked for his bill. Thoughts of Shun, who was still apparently inside the comfort room, disappeared from his head.

Julie handed him bill. All he had to do was hand it to Runo, give the respective amount and she'll give him the official receipt.

Runo wasn't particularly in the best of moods right then. The stress she had to cope up with for a week plus that thickheaded and annoying boy who wanted to get her number. She was also feeling exceptionally tired after such a tiring day; she wanted nothing more than the closing of the café and their rest day tomorrow.

Dan stood in front of the cashier, shoving his hands inside his front pockets and his back pockets with an anxious expression on his face.

Runo tapped her foot impatiently. She glanced longingly at the analog clock that was behind her.

_Hurry up and get on with it…_

Dan turned to her anxiously. He had an inscrutable expression on his face.

Runo raised an eyebrow at him.

_Hurry up and pay you glutton!_

He rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly, "Uhhh… Miss?"

"What?" Runo snapped as her patience inched away little but little.

"Well…" Dan scratched the back of his head and smiled awkwardly in Runo's eyes.

_What is this thickhead doing?_

"Listen here buddy," Runo started without a hint of politeness in her strained and slightly hoarse voice, "We're about to close and I really want to get home as soon as possible… So do the five of us a favor and PAY ALREADY!"

Dan cursed inwardly. He slightly turned away to mend his broken ego.

_This amazon wasn't affected by my charms!_

He turned to her again. Took a deep breath, and squared his shoulder.

Runo grimaced audibly.

_Geez! What is this thickhead doing now?_

"_**Sorry Miss, but I misplaced my wallet…"**_

* * *

><p>Runo sighed as she walked in the park. It was a bright sunny Sunday and she still couldn't think of a subject for her two-line poetic verse.<p>

She wore a pink buttoned shirt, white walking shorts and her favorite red soles; her hair was still kept in her signature pigtails. Yesterday's incident still drove her to her wit's end, but she protested against thinking about it anymore and took a walk to relax her nerves.

She saw a ball bounce be her feet, a basketball to be exact, she caught it in between her hands like a pro.

"Nice catch!" complimented a boy who was now walking towards her.

Runo's ears figuratively twitched when she heard that voice. She knew to whom it belonged to.

She raised her eyes from the ball and saw who was coming towards her.

Her anger rose all of a sudden; all thoughts of relaxation seemed non-existent at the moment.

"Whoa!" the boy skidded to a halt a few feet in front of Runo, "Crap!" he cursed.

She placed the ball on one hand and threw it towards the boy, who just so happened to be Dan, with a great force. She aimed for his head and let out an incoherent shout.

There were a few exclaims of exaltation and awe from the boys who Dan was playing with. The ball hit Dan on the head just the way Runo wanted it to.

She stormed her way out of the park as the scene yesterday played back inside her head.

* * *

><p>"Sorry Miss, but I misplaced my wallet…"<p>

Runo's eyes widened.

Dan could swear that he could see fire coming out of her nostrils and steam from her ears.

"Miss…?" he asked nervously

And that's when Runo's temper called hell broke loose. She grabbed Dan by the collar and shouted at him incessantly.

She slapped him a few times and only Chan and Mira (the only girls who can stop Runo without getting grievously injured), separated Dan from Runo.

"I said I was sorry and that I was going to pay for it!" Dan shouted at her.

"YOU THICKHEADED, PEA-BRAINED, IDIOT!" Runo shouted in a louder voice, "WHAT DO YOU TAKE ME FOR?"

After a continuous exchange of somewhat incoherent shouts of insults, Runo and Dan finally calmed down.

Chan and Mira spirited Runo away to the kitchen and gave her some gelato that they had in stock. While the two took care of Runo, Alice and Julie apologized to Dan and let him go home.

"Don't worry… I really do intend to pay the bill…" Dan told the twosome.

Alice waved her hand dismissively, "No it's okay… I think it would be better if you don't show yourself to Runo for a while… Who knows what might happen…"

Dan nodded.

* * *

><p>Dan groaned, suddenly remembering what Alice had said.<p>

"She wasn't kidding…" he said.

Runo on the other hand walked back to her apartment. She went straight to her studying desk and scribbled on a piece of paper. After crossing out a few attempts, she started writing again.

The same procedure continued until she ran out of spaces on the paper. She would crumple it and throw it to the waste bin beside her desk.

The same thing repeated over and over for another hour.

Runo pulled herself away from the table, tugged on her ponytails and groaned in frustration.

Then an absurd idea for her literature assignment flashed inside her mind. Picking the pen up and placing a paper on her desk, she reluctantly wrote her name in neat letters and in an organized manner.

_Misaki, Runo_

_Assignment in Literature-Two line poetic verse_

Runo seemed pleased with herself. She finally grasped the subject that could make her flourish with ideas. Though the fact that she hated that subject and abhorred the word itself, she was amused to find out that it was the word that stimulated her.

She began writing on the blank paper again.

_**Human beings whose wills cannot be bent**_

_**Are surely boys, thickheaded by descent**_

* * *

><p><strong>So that's a wrap!<strong>

**I think I may have gotten too excited about this one… =D**

**So please do not hesitate to click the REVIEW button and feel free to convey your deepest darkest thoughts about the fic as it is greatly appreciated… =D**

**Oh and happy birthday to a very dear friend of mine, JetravenEx, I'll have your gift soon, don't worry… =D**

**chquine_harvinellisse**


	3. Scapegoat

**Yay another update!**

**Sorry it took so long…**

**Anyway, I won't talk much so on with it!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 3<p>

Scapegoat

Alice sighed as she massaged the small of her back. Another hard day was ahead and she felt like she wasn't really prepared for it.

"What's wrong Alice?" asked Runo who had just changed into her maid uniform as she combed her ponytails.

The red head smiled, "Nothing… I'm just feeling tired, that's all…"

A certain silver haired girl came out and joined the other two, "We haven't even started the day yet and you're already tired?" asked the bubbly Julie.

"Sorry…" Alice smiled "I think I'm still not used to this" she gestured at the café in particular "kind of environment yet…"

Mira suddenly came in and rushed to the kitchen as she muttered, "Sorry I'm late…"

She hurried off to the kitchen while muttering something about a new chat mate.

"Where's Chan?" asked Julie as she looked around

Runo wiggled a finger, "She goes to a school remember? She comes here by lunchtime…"

Julie pouted ever so slightly before she smiled again and said; "Billy sent me a postcard this morning…" she smiled as she took out the card from the pocket of her uniform.

She pressed the poor postcard against her tan cheeks and cradled it, "Billy transferred to France for his studies…" she sighed, "I hope he comes back soon… I'm getting pretty lonely…"

"You're always lonely when Billy's not around," Alice muttered, "He's been gone for three years hasn't he?"

"Three and a half," corrected Julie as she winked, "I always keep count you know… Next week he'll be coming back to Japan!"

"Really?" asked Runo as she lifted her head from her steaming mug of coffee, "You're really keeping count huh?"

"Of course!" the silver haired girl proudly said, "He's my boyfriend after all!" she then sighed and said, "The two of you couldn't possibly understand…"

Runo snapped her head to the other direction and said, "I don't have time for that Julie. Especially since the two lines I made in haste actually pleased the Literature tutor…" she grimaced, "I can't believe that stupid two line verse actually impressed her!" and she began mercilessly gnawing on the toasted bread on her plate.

Alice couldn't help but laugh.

"Why?" asked Mira who just came out skillfully holding a tray of freshly baked muffins on three fingers like an expert.

It was customary for the four of them to eat breakfast in the café after Mira finished her signature corn muffins.

Alice managed to stifle her sudden laughter as Runo glared daggers at the red haired Russian.

"Okay, okay… So it's funny…" Runo rolled her eyes as she drank her coffee in one gulp.

"Sorry…" Alice said, "But it really is funny you know…"

Mira placed the tray on the table and asked, "So what made Alice crack that hard?"

"Oh nothing really," Alice started as Runo sharply turned to her. The red haired girl seemed ignorant of the cashier's icy glare and continued, "Just Runo's choice of subject…"

Julie immediately pouted, "Aw, no fair! You guys are being so mysterious!"

Runo crossed her arms and seemed indifferent. "Whatever, I'm not telling…"

"Oh come on Runo…" Alice said, "It'll sound a whole lot better if you say it yourself…"

Runo persistently shook her head and said, "No and no. There's no way I'm saying that forbidden word again!"

The manager slash cashier stretched out her hand to get a muffin. But a certain blue eyed red haired cook swatted her hand away.

The former turned angrily to the latter only to be intimidated by Mira's dangerously dark aura.

"Tell us," Mira hissed, "Or you're not going to eat any muffins for breakfast…"

Runo merely sighed and mentally cursed for having the same Literature tutor as Alice.

"Fine I'll say it!" the blue haired girl gave up, "My subject… is about…"

And like before, a thick atmosphere of anxiety enveloped the café. They began to wonder: _what is it with Runo and delaying tactics?_

Runo took three deep breaths; each breath ticked Mira off. She had to force herself from snatching the muffins away from existence and throw them to the garbage bin.

Finally the tension dissolved into thin air when Runo spoke out, "Boys…" she sighed helplessly.

Right after Runo's tension-building revelation, Julie broke into fits of laughter.

"Seriously?" Julie managed in between laughs, "Your subject is about boys?"

"Yeah, thanks for rubbing it in, Julie!" Runo sarcastically said

Even Mira couldn't help but laugh. "Who would have thought that something so far fetched as that can actually stimulate Runo's sleeping senses?"

Runo suddenly felt like a freshman in her first day and was mercilessly bullied by senior students that know their way around.

"I was supposed to throw it away, but Alice here had to be an angel and hand the crumpled paper over to our tutor…" Runo bitterly said vent out her frustration and embarrassment on the corn muffin that she viciously munched.

"But you passed didn't you?" teased Alice.

"Plus the tutor liked it…" Julie added with a wink.

"So where did you get the idea from?" asked Mira.

"Do you remember that creep that didn't pay after ordering so much food?" Mira and Julie nodded, "From that stupid boy…"

"Oh my gosh!" Julie exclaimed, "This could be destiny Runo!"

Runo wrinkled her face, like Julie just said something nastily unpleasant.

"Don't you see? After he made you so angry, you made him your inspiration for a very appreciative piece of literary work!" exclaimed the bubbly silver haired girl, "You could end up together!"

Runo gagged and her face fell down on the table. She picked her head up and asked, "Seriously Julie, are you sure you're drinking your vitamins lately? Cause you can't distinguish fact from fiction…"

Said girl didn't find it amusing, "Do you really plan to live your whole life looking after this café?"

Runo shrugged.

The silver haired girl sighed and raised her arms in defeat, "I give up!" then she reached out for a corn muffin and sniffed, "You know, yellow's been kinda reminding me of Billy too much lately…"

Mira patted the tan girl's back comfortingly, "Don't worry, he'll be here soon…" she took a muffin of your own and said, "To be honest, I'm jealous of your boyfriend's faithfulness in spite of your immeasurable distance between one another…" she bit on the muffin viciously and chewed, "Mine was so unfaithful I smelled in within a five meter radius…"

Her gloomy and threatening aura seeped out every pore and every available external opening of her body.

"This is why I don't want to talk about the forbidden 'b' word…" Runo said airily.

Mira chomped the remnants of her corn muffin and retreated back to the kitchen, "Well… He wasn't worth my time anyway…"

Alice tried to clarify the questions in her mind, "Is she talking about…?"

But was interrupted by Mira's voice, "I _can_ hear you…"

"Sorry…" Alice sank to the chair.

Julie was going to bring up a subject about Runo's love life but was interrupted by soft tapping on the glass pane of their door.

Alice was surprised to see her brother's blonde hair stick out of the glass pane. She opened the door and the bell started chiming. "Onii-sama, what are you doing here?" asked Alice as her brother smirked his signature smirk at her.

"Is Runo here?" asked Masquerade.

Runo stood up and walked to Alice's side and asked, "What do you want Blondie?"

Said boy chuckled, "Now Runo, that's not really nice publicity especially in front of a customer…"

Runo planted her palms on her hips and echoed, "Customer? You're a daily free loader!" she exclaimed.

Masquerade jerked his thumb at Runo and asked his sister, "Is she having one of her days again?"

Runo socked the blonde's head, "Say another word and I'm kicking you all the way to Russia…"

The older brother chuckled again before he glanced over his shoulder and said, "Don't worry; it won't be that much of a trouble…"

"I still don't think this is a good idea…" said a female voice that came from behind him, "I mean she _did_ say that you were a free loader…"

"Hey I pay when I eat…" defended Masquerade

"Yeah, but you eat during our break hours!" Masquerade rolled his eyes heavenwards at Runo's exclaimed statement.

"I would hardly call myself a free loader just because of that…"

"And now you're here to probably eat ten minutes before we open," Runo said angrily as she glanced at her wristwatch.

"Come on, it's not for me you know…" Masquerade scoffed. He stepped to the side to reveal an unfamiliar but fairly attractive girl.

She had golden brown hair that wad partly in disarray. Her height was a little more than the café girls. She was wearing a plain blue t-shirt that was obviously put on in haste, black shorts and rubber soles.

"Jet?" Alice was baffled to say the least.

"Oh hi Alice…" the new girl that Alice called Jet grimly greeted back as she tried combing her hair with her fingers, "Care to explain why we're here, Masky?"

Runo's eyes widened at the sound of the pet name. She knew that Alice's no-nonsense brother hated pet names given to him.

"Cool it Jet," hissed Masquerade, obviously he did not like the pet name.

"Cool it? Are you kidding me?" Jet exclaimed, "First you drag me here to Japan telling me that there's a cross country marathon here and that you registered me so there's no turning back. Next you tell me that the marathon was cancelled so that forced me to what, stay here with you until the marathon resumes. Then you tell me that there was no marathon and you just wanted to play a prank on me. Then you hide my passport so I won't be able to go back home.

"And just this morning," the girl poked her index finger on Masquerade's chest, over his plain white shirt, "You practically screamed at me at 5 am to get out of bed and jog all the way here…" she tugged on her hair and said, "On top of that you didn't even let me look at least decent!"

Julie suddenly came behind Runo and asked, "What's all the commotion about?"

Runo had a smile on her face and replied, "I don't know and I don't care… I like that girl…" she turned to Alice questioningly.

"Jet… Her name's Jet…" Alice said.

Runo nodded, "Yep I definitely like her…"

Masquerade backed a few steps away from the silently raging and slowly charging girl and raised his hands as a gesture of surrender.

"Tell me one good reason why I shouldn't cut your head off?" Jet asked as her fists clenched tightly at her sides.

"Because you love me?" Masquerade offered with a grin.

Jet grabbed the masked one by the collar of his shirt and said, "In your dreams!"

Alice came between them before Jet got any closer and said. "You brought her here for breakfast, right onii-sama?" asked Alice

Masquerade didn't reply so all the other girls took that as a 'yes'.

Runo walked towards Jet and said, "Come inside, I'll fix you something nice…"

Jet nodded somewhat numbly and followed Runo inside the café.

"Mira! Whip up something nice for breakfast!" Runo said, "We have an early customer…"

Jet turned to Runo and asked, "Is this alright? I mean, you haven't opened the café yet…"

Runo waved her hand and said, "I only say that to free loaders like Alice's brother…"

"I heard that…" Masquerade said ruefully as he and Alice entered the café.

Mira came out holding a tray of steaming omelet and rice on it. She placed the tray on the table where Jet sat and beside her was Alice's onii-sama. She sharply turned to Masquerade and said, "I'm not supposed to feed free loaders…"

Said boy frowned while the girl who sat beside him giggled quietly.

"Shut up Jet…" snapped the blonde.

"What?" Jet shrugged innocently, "It's not like I asked you to bring me here…" she spooned the omelet and the rice and said, "But I don't mind getting dragged out here for this…"

Runo nodded approvingly and said, "Eat up… The free loader here can take care of your bill…"

Jet's grin became wider. And she dug to her food again.

Of course, all three girls who stayed outside saw how intently Masquerade was gazing at the eating girl.

"He's in love…" Julie sighed dreamily as she watched from the counter with Alice and Runo.

Alice nodded approvingly, "He just won't say it…"

Runo didn't make a comment, but deep down she agreed.

"Alice, I need to talk to you…" the blonde suddenly said.

The red head turned to Runo and earned a nod of approval. Her brother gestured her to follow him outside and she felt a bit disheartened.

Her no-nonsense brother wouldn't want to talk to her in private unless he knew that she or anyone else within the café wouldn't like to hear what he was going to say.

Alice shook off the vibe of negativity that she harbored and another thought came up to mind.

"Wait, onii-sama?" her brother turned to her, acknowledging "Is this about Jet?"

A heavy tint of pink graced her brother's cheeks.

_I think it is…_

"No it's not…" he said plainly and somewhat disappointed for her, "It's not about Jet… I mean for Pete's sake I can take care of my own issues… You should really worry about yourself…"

His voice dropped and was soaked with seriousness it made her shudder. She moistened her lips nodded and asked, "What is it?"

He wasted no time in telling her the truth, "Grandfather is calling for you…"

Alice managed a relieved sigh. It was just their grandfather missing her again.

_So there's nothing to be worried about…_

"But he wasn't missing you…" her brother interrupted her thoughts, "He wants you to come back home…"

"What?" Alice's jaw went slack, "Why?"

Her grandfather let her have the freedom to choose where she wanted to go with the money he gave her. And asking her to go home would mean that something drastic has happened.

"He's set an arranged marriage for you Alice…"

And with that her whole world fell.

"What?" she was unable to procure anything less dumb than that reply, "Are you sure?"

"Why would I lie about something like this?"

"It's just that," Alice bit her lower lip, "Grandfather knows that I have no intention of participating in an arranged marriage, so why bother?"

Masquerade crossed his arms and replied, "He also knows that you haven't had a boyfriend for four years since you came here to Japan…"

"Why would that make him arrange a marriage for me?"

"He's concerned, Alice…" her brother said "And he had to make good use of his grandchildren…"

_Sure…_

_Onii-sama helped with the researches…_

_So where does that leave me?_

Alice bit her lip. She loved her grandfather and practically owed everything she has to him. Michael Gehabich loved his grandchildren as well; therefore he spoiled them under the condition that they become useful for him.

Unfortunately Alice hasn't been productive in the useful area.

"He's arranged a marriage for you and the heir of the Von Hertzen industries…" Masquerade added with a shudder.

And like her beloved brother, Alice too shuddered.

_Grandfather's marrying me to Klaus?_

"Why on earth would he chose Klaus for me?" asked Alice.

"The Von Hertzen industries can really help with our researches; they even agreed to fund our researches should the marriage work out…"

"Are we in a crisis?" asked the younger sibling

He shook his head and said, "Old man just wants the research secured…"

Alice sighed. There was no way out of her current pinch.

"He said something though," Alice's head snapped up at Masquerade's sudden words, "he said that if you already have a boyfriend, he would have to cancel the deal…"

_A boyfriend…?_

Alice bit her lip.

_Onii-sama knows as much as I do that I never had a boyfriend before…_

"I'm sure you'll be able to find someone right?" her brother leaned against the bark of the tree.

"You mean, a scapegoat?" inquired the shy red head.

Her brother simply nodded. "I don't like Klaus any more than you do and I don't approve of the deal either…"

"But…"

He interrupted her, "Now is not the time for you to be upholding your values… Would you rather share the rest of your life doing _things_," she blanched at the word, "with that pathetic German excuse for an Adonis or pretend having a boyfriend just this once and escape the former?"

Alice nodded and said, "But how will I find someone who will be willing enough to pretend to be my boyfriend?"

"You have a lot of prospects… I mean you _do _work in a café…" she nodded at his answer, "As long as it's not a pervert or an idiot or a squirrel you dug out of a hole, you'll hear nothing from me…"

Alice had to giggle at her brother's words, "Onii-sama, I have taste you know…"

"That's what I thought…" her brother smirked.

Alice chuckled and changed the topic, "So why did you drag Jet all the way here?"

And just like that the masked blonde blushed, "That's none of your business Alice…"

She raised an eyebrow, "I wonder…"

"Stop worrying yourself with my issues…" her brother stated darkly, "And find yourself a suitable boyfriend…"

She merely smiled and said, "You're in love with her aren't you?"

He didn't answer and just brushed past her and went back to the café.

"Jet! Are you done yet?" he yelled.

* * *

><p>Alice sighed.<p>

The day was almost coming to a close and she still hasn't found a suitable let alone proper man to help her out of her dilemma.

"Why so glum Alice?" asked Julie as she wiped the tables.

"Oh… nothing…" replied the frustrated girl.

"Are you sure?" Alice nodded.

As they wiped the tables clean the door opened and the bell above it chimed.

Runo's head snapped towards the door since she was closest to it and started to greet, "Good…" her voice trailed off as she saw who was standing there, "YOU AGAIN?"

By the door stood the boy-who-didn't-pay-and-became-the-reason-why-Runo-submitted-her-assignment.

He winced and inserted his little finger into his ear. "I have a name you know!" he shouted "I'm Daniel Kuso!"

"I don't care who you are," Runo raged, "Get out of my café!"

"Are you refusing a customer?" he asked incredulously.

Like before he wore an air of an athlete, though Runo didn't know if she should bother with it at the moment.

"I'm refusing a customer who refuses to pay! Kuso Dan!" she exclaimed "I've had enough free loaders as it is…" (literally in Japanese 'kuso' means 'damn' so when Runo said 'Kuso Dan' she meant 'Damned Dan' =D)

"Aw… come on!" Dan whined "I just want to eat pudding!"

"One pudding coming up!" was Mira's giddy reply.

Runo groaned and said as she pointed a finger at Dan, "You better pay or I'll ban pudding from existence…"

"Sheesh… you don't have to be so mean you know…" muttered the brunette as he sat down and waited for his pudding. He took out his phone and dialed some numbers.

Runo turned to Julie and whispered, "Julie, keep an eye on that potential free loader for me will you?"

Julie saluted and winked, "Sure boss! And don't worry I won't steal him from you…"

Runo scoffed "Yeah right…"

"Hey Shun!" Julie made out his word as she wiped the table behind the brunette and eavesdropped.

_Though this kind of method might be unnecessary since he talks so loud!_

_Geez! Talk about privacy!_

"Yeah I just got here…" Dan said merrily and waited for the reply from the other line, "I already told you it's empty here…"

And then there was another pause.

"Yeah, yeah… I'll leave when you two get here…"

Another pause.

"Geez you sound like a paranoid teenager waiting for his math test results…."

Dan's eyes widened at the other pause.

"I _do not_ fail my math exams! Just shut up hotshot!"

And then he hung up.

Mira came out holding a tray of the Pudding Trio. Runo stepped out of the counter and said, "I'll take it from here…"

Mira nodded and winked, "Go get him, Manager!"

"Oh I will…"

Mira's eyes widened.

_Did Runo just say that she'll get him?_

She shook her head.

_Nah, she probably didn't understand my point._

(Yes Mira, she didn't…)

Runo walked to Dan's table and placed the pudding on his table. The moment it touched the table, Dan's eyes shone excitedly.

"Thanks!" he grinned at Runo who didn't seem to be amused.

"Hurry up and eat that up… I want to go home early…" Runo snapped.

Dan sheepishly scratched the back of his head and said, "Well… about that…"

Runo could feel the water heater of her temper start up.

"I was kinda wondering if you could do me a favor…"

"And what kind of favor are you talking about?" asked Runo as she tried to keep her calm.

"Well… my friend would like to ask help from your café…" Dan said as his crimson eyes flew out from under his bangs and met with Runo's aquamarine ones.

Of course, the headstrong manager didn't expect this kind of action from the thickheaded brunette. She sighed and said, "Fine…"

Dan's eyes widened "For real?"

"I said it already, didn't I?" Runo said in a surprisingly calm tone.

Dan immediately stood up and wrapped his arms around Runo's figure, "Thanks!"

The Manager, who was still quite shocked with what Dan did, went to the kitchen in a daze where Chan handed her a pint of gelato to calm herself.

A few minutes later, Dan finished his pudding and a pair came inside.

The brunette waved at the new comers as he handed his payment to Alice, who was currently at the cashier in Runo's stead.

"Well I'll leave you love birds okay Shun?" Dan waved.

Shun grunted as he turned to the navy blue haired girl beside him. She was wearing a yellow dress under a white jacket.

"Good evening, sir; ma'am…" Alice greeted.

The twosome didn't pay any attention to her and took a seat at the table at the far back.

The girl had exquisitely brave emerald eyes and she was talking seriously with Shun.

Julie reluctantly placed two cups of steaming espresso on the table where the two 'love birds', as Dan put it, conversed about many things.

After roughly thirty minutes, the girl stood up and left Shun alone.

Alice nodded as the girl left, but was surprised to see that Shun was still sitting there. His fringe covered his eyes and his fists were clenched tightly.

The red head wanted to approach the raven haired boy, but he suddenly stood up and went out without another word.

Runo came out and asked, "What happened?"

Alice merely shrugged, "I don't know…"

"Well… I guess we should close the store… Chan already went home early…" Runo said. Her head snapped to the direction of the kitchen and said, "Hey guys! It's time to go!"

Alice nodded as she proceeded to clean the table that Shun and his lady companion used.

As she picked up the coffee cups she noticed something leather on the chair. Her eyes widened to see that it was a wallet. As she opened it she saw Shun's identification card.

Nearly running, the girl brought the coffee cups to the kitchen, changed into her casual clothes (a white skirt and a lilac long sleeved blouse) and went out to find the wallet's owner.

As she ran aimlessly; looking for the raven haired boy, she spotted something or someone rather slouching by the swing.

She recognized the sleek black hair and decided to approach the figure.

"Uhm… Are you Shun-kun?" she asked politely.

He didn't answer; he didn't raise his eyes to meet her. He remained slouched while sitting on the swing.

Deciding against staying there any longer, Alice handed the wallet to him and said, "You left your wallet, Shun-kun…"

Said boy sniggered. He finally raised his honey amber eyes to meet with her chocolate brown ones. His eyes were glazed with a sick form of amusement and felt heavily like torment.

She noted the can of beer in his hand. It seemed empty.

"I let her go…" he muttered plainly, "I let Fabia go just like that…"

"Shun-kun, you're drunk…" Alice pointed out.

"No…" Shun said in a straight voice, "I'm still in my senses, I just feel a little dramatic that's all…"

He glanced pointedly at the bench and asked, "Can you keep me company?"

Alice nodded albeit a bit reluctant. It was late and she barely knew this guy, but decided on helping anyway.

They sat on the bench and Shun crushed the can of beer he was holding and threw it away. He took his wallet and took out a picture. He held it up and showed it to Alice, who was able to make out the face of a woman with braided navy blue hair and malachite eyes. She wore a smile, fragile and gentle; yet loving at the same time.

"She's beautiful isn't she?" asked Shun.

Alice merely nodded, "Yeah… Who is she?"

"My mom…" Shun said and he took out another picture. This time, the picture was of the girl he was with in the café a while ago.

"Do they have any resemblance whatsoever?" asked Shun.

Alice nodded, "They look like sisters or something…" she glanced at Shun and remembered he was Japanese, "Or a reincarnation of the other…"

Shun chuckled bitterly. "No… They're not sisters and it would be ridiculous if Fabia was my mom's reincarnation…"

Her gaze fell down and said apologetically, "Sorry… I didn't mean to…"

But Shun cut her short, "It's okay… The reincarnation theory reminded me that they were two different people…" he starred up at the indigo sky and said, "My mom is already dead so the reincarnation theory fits like a glove…"

"Who's the girl in the second picture?" asked the red head.

"Fabia," replied Shun, "Fabia Sheen… my girlfriend…" he chuckled bitterly, "Well… ex-girlfriend…"

Alice didn't speak at this point. Was he aware that they were practically strangers to one another?

"She broke up with me in your café…" he continued "Just as I was going to propose to her… Then again, I guess it never would have worked out anyway…"

"Why?" Alice found herself asking.

"I only saw her as my mother's splitting image…" he said with clenched fists, "She noticed that and broke up with me… I'm a terrible boyfriend…"

The uneasy atmosphere didn't leave, mainly because Alice was simply clueless regarding these kinds of things and therefore didn't speak.

"And I just let her go like that…" he added bitterly through gritted teeth, "And now I realize that I love her…"

Alice sighed, "You won't know the value of something unless you lose it…"

She turned to face Shun, but was caught by surprise when his lips collided with hers.

Her eyes were wide open. This was her first kiss after all.

Shun on the other hand closed his eyes nonchalantly.

She struggled, she squirmed; she relented against his lips, but his hands clamped her shoulders into submission.

She fell numb in his grip and all the more as he parted her lips with his tongue.

She gagged and her cries and pleas were nothing but muffled whimpers against his mouth.

Soon she ceased resisting. He muttered some words in Japanese as they parted, but the words were so silent she could barely hear them.

As she closed her wide eyes, a thought dawned at her.

_I can use him as a scapegoat…_

_I can use him to get free…_

_Just as he used me right now…_

Her brother's words suddenly echoed inside her mind.

_You're right, onii-sama…_

_Now is not the time for me to be a little girl who thinks about morals…_

And with that she kissed him back.

.

.

.

.

And smirked.

* * *

><p><strong>Phew!<strong>

**I meant to make it shorter, but what the happened?**

**And I'm sorry that this chapter doesn't contain much scenes about Shun and Alice like the previous chapter about Dan and Runo…**

**Anyway, could you please tell me which couple I should put in the next chapter?**

**There are only two to choose from: Mira and Ace, and Chan and Joe…**

**Having said that, please do not hesitate to click the REVIEW button and feel free to convey your deepest darkest thoughts regarding the fic as well as the pair you'd like to see in the next chapter as it is greatly appreciated… =D**

**Have a nice day people!**

**chquine_harvinellisse**


	4. The butcher side

**So I just checked the calendar and I got a major shock…**

**It's May already?**

**I don't really want to dwell on such a gloomy matter so… On with it!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 4<p>

The butcher side

A faint typing sound echoed inside a room lit only by the screen of the laptop. But it produced very little light due to the red haired girl who slouched in front of it.

The neon colors of her analog clock right above her head told her that it was past midnight and that she was past her curfew hours ago.

But the girl, Mira Clay, was too engrossed in her current activity to even care about her adequate sleeping hours.

She briefly stopped typing on the keyboard whose letters and numbers have already begun to fade due to the excessive use from sunset until very early in the morning. She propped her elbow on the table and placed her chin on her palm. Wire square-framed glasses were on her eyes, due to reasons that should be pretty obvious. She tapped her finger impatiently against the wood of the table where her computer rested.

She sighed. Never mind the bags under her eyes; she just needed some sort of ejection button out of her depression that struck yet again a few minutes ago.

_I knew I should have changed my number…_

The red haired girl stared at a broken picture frame beside the battered keyboard. Though she could barely make out what was in the similarly battered picture frame, she knew exactly what and who were in the picture. And she would never want to see that again.

The sound of a chirping bird that came from her computer and indicated that her new friend had replied to her previous reply drew her attention to it.

She smiled slightly. She had met this new friend of hers in the same website where she met her ex-boyfriend. But unlike her ex-boyfriend, this new friend seemed more mature and well-mannered.

_Haos_Nemus: So did anything bad happen to you today? You seem kinda different… =D_

Mira sat up straight. She barely knew this new friend of hers for a long time, but the person seems to be a bit familiar with her.

She chuckled and typed her reply.

_SubterraWilda: Nothing out of the ordinary… I just remembered stuff…_

Instantly there was another reply.

_Haos_Nemus: Your boyfriend again?_

Mira arched an eyebrow and asked.

_SubterraWilda: You know you're starting to sound like a psychic… -_-_

_Haos_Nemus: Ha-ha… Maybe I am… I just happen to know a lot of things about you..._

_SubterraWilda: I can see that… It nearly makes me want to launch a knife at you…_

_Haos_Nemus: Scary… But people say that I have an uncanny ability to read people…_

_SubterraWilda: So you are a psychic…-_-_

_Haos_Nemus: Ha-ha… That aside, what's wrong?_

Mira sucked in a breath. Was she really going to recollect the details of the reason why she was gloomy?

She sighed and did it anyway.

_SubterraWilda: … He called me…_

There was a lengthy pause. Mira sighed and debated whether she should delete her reply while her chat mate wasn't replying yet, but she disappointed herself by deciding against the things that would truly make her feel a whole lot better.

_Haos_Nemus: Really? How did it go?_

_SubterraWilda: Oh you know… He was blabbering again about apologizing and how I was undeserving of those parting words he left me with… Quite the comedian if you ask me…_

She meant it. Her ex-boyfriend, whose-name-shall-not-be-mentioned, was a comedian and a drama-king in her words.

_Haos_Nemus: I thought he was a drama-king?_

_SubterraWilda: Aww… you remembered… XD_

_Haos_Nemus: Of course… You wrote that in capitalized bold and underlined letters… =D_

Mira had to smirk at that remark. As she and Haos_Nemus got closer to one another, she started to open up to the chat mate more. At first she didn't really know why, but she knew that it felt good to release such steamy proportions of her mind every once in a while to someone who understands her.

_SubterraWilda: Say Nemus, this has been bugging me for quite some time now… Are you a boy or a girl?_

_Haos_Nemus: What brought that up so suddenly? I'm a boy… ^_^_

_SubterraWilda: Well for fairness' sake, I'm a girl and if you ever want to have a chance to see me, I work at the Crest café…_

She glanced at the clock and saw that it was an hour and a half past twelve midnight.

_SubterraWilda: This reminds me that I have to go to bed… See you! =D_

Mira plopped onto her bed and pulled the covers over her head and fell soundly asleep.

* * *

><p>Mira was running around randomly. She dodged the bustling people with suitcases trailing behind them.<p>

She looked around frantically.

_His flight is in five minutes!_

The airport was too big; that much she has admitted to herself. Right now she felt like wallowing in hatred and rage; it wasn't directed to anything or anyone.

Because it was directed to herself.

She whipped her head to all directions until she saw a mass of mint green hair and ran to that direction. This time she paid no heed to the people whose shoulders she brushed against harshly.

Her heart leaped up when she confirmed that it was him.

_Thank goodness! I'm not late…_

"Ace!" she called out.

Thankfully the one she sought turned to her. Her heart sank at the sight of his luggage.

_So he really is leaving…_

"Mira… So you received my message…" he said plainly.

"You idiot, why didn't you tell me earlier?" she asked with a hint of anger in her voice.

Ace flashed his teeth before her and said, "It was a last minute decision. Your brother is quite demanding…"

Mira felt a bit sad, but she was also happy because Ace is finally fulfilling his dream.

"Well..." Ace spoke up, "I guess it's time for me to say goodbye…"

Mira's eyes widened, "You'll be coming back right?"

"Why would I do that?"

Those words resounded in her ear. It sounded like a stab, a gunshot; a broken heart.

"What—what are you saying Ace?" she hated how her voice sounded so weak, "You have me to return to… Why wouldn't you return?"

A cruel smirk made its way to Ace's face. It was something she was sure that she would never like.

"What are you talking about Mira?" asked Ace, "You mean all this time you were so clueless about it? You aren't as sharp as I thought…"

She felt like a pail of cold water just slapped her literally on her face. Her mouth was agape and her eyes stung. She studied her boyfriend's face and saw no hint of jest, like he always had on his face. The smirk she loved seeing wasn't there.

"Ace…"

"Mira…" he said patiently, "You were such an obedient puppet…"

_Puppet? What does he think I am?_

"So tell me, am I the first person smart enough to use you as a drawbridge to your brother?" Ace smirked, but there was no amount of humor in it.

"What are you saying?" asked Mira as her eyes shone with confusion and the incoming tears.

Ace looked slightly annoyed, "Do I really have to spell it out for you?" he sighed "I was just using you to get to your brother… And now that I have, do you honestly think that I'd want to go back to a lovesick little girl?"

Mira stepped back tentatively.

"You—you're lying!" Mira shouted

Ace smirked, "Why would I?" he stepped towards the girl, wrapped an arm around her waist and leaned down to her ear, "It was all a lie, Mira…" he took hold of her hand, "This touch…" he sniffed her hair, "These actions…" he briefly kissed her lips, "This kiss…" and finally bit her earlobe, "And this relationship…"

He pulled away from her and glanced at his watch. He walked off muttering something about making someone like her waste his precious time.

Mira stood rooted on the spot. It was only after Ace left did she realize the weight of what he just said.

She felt sick to the pits of her stomach. She wanted to scream, curse, and wreck havoc in the airport. But that would've been disgusting, that would've been low of her; that would've proven how dependent she was on their relationship.

* * *

><p>Mira opened her eyes abruptly at the sound of her beeping alarm clock. She sighed as she slapped the poor clock shut.<p>

_A dream…_

She pushed the covers away and yawned heartily. After rubbing her cobalt eyes, she rushed to the bathroom and took a bath. She hummed a tune as she started preparing toast for her pre-breakfast in her bathrobe.

After getting tired of hearing her own voice, she turned the radio on and turned the volume to maximum.

It was a daily habit of hers and habits like these die hard.

After munching on her toast, she got dressed and rode on her bike all the way to the café.

Like always, Runo was already there, combing her ponytails with her hand and Alice and Julie were lounging around waiting for her to bake her infamous muffins.

She parked her bike at the back of the café and started to walk towards the back entrance of the café.

"Old habits die hard huh?" said a husky and strangely familiar voice.

Mira whipped around only to meet a pair of oddly colored gray eyes and mint green hair.

Of course the person who spoke hid behind the shadow cast by the small café but she knew exactly who it was. The timbre, the way of talk and the tone, call her exaggerated, but she knew all too well from whom it cam from.

"It's nice to see you again Mira…"

And the way he said her name. It was mixed with humor, contempt, and the tiniest hint of longing.

But she hated that tone. She hated that tone and she hated the person who used it all the more.

Her anger bubbled up. The rage she relieved last night was all but gone within the snap of a finger or in this case, the sound of an all too familiar voice.

She had to literally restrain herself from physically assaulting the one who stood before her. Her butcher side was kicking in and it badly wanted to be unleashed.

After all, this person's name was never mentioned within a kilometer radius from her for good measure.

Once she heard his name, she would forget all good manners and proper conduct and the butcher inside her would be unleashed.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" she asked.

The mint-haired male chuckled, "Seriously? I was just talking to you last night… Do you really believe that I think you're fickle?"

Mira snapped her head away from his direction and repeated, "I have no idea who you are… I suggest you leave before I gouge your eyes out…"

_Or peel your skin off, or cut you in half, or mutilate you beyond recognition and throw you down a cliff overlooking a river that turns into a waterfall and make sure it's in South America so piranhas can mutilate you all over again…_

He chuckled again, but this time he advanced towards her. "You've changed Mira…"

"I see no reason why you should say that…" she said icily while glaring daggers at her ex-boyfriend who-she-pretends-to-know-nothing-about.

"Then why are you wasting time talking to someone you barely know?" he challenged.

Of course, Mira was quick-witted enough to make a reasonable response. "I have friends inside, and I am more capable of taking care of rabid and stubborn stalkers, but I'd rather not show it to them since I can handle you quite well myself…" she replied proudly.

"I see your vocabulary has expanded…" the male muttered in half mock and half praise.

"May I ask what you want from me?" Mira asked as she turned away from him to adjust her bike into a more favorable position.

"Seeing that my words last night didn't change your mind, I decided to use force…" he replied as he leaned against the wall beside Mira's bike "I decided to take you by force…"

Mira was dumbfounded, but she didn't dare show it. She regained her composure the minute she lost it. By her logical reasoning, she knew that she shouldn't respond if she was acting like she doesn't know him.

"Your brother is very demanding you know that?" he said to fill in her silence, "He demanded that I get you back to secure my position in his company… Last night's phone call was Plan A; seeing that you refused my coaxing words and my gentle demeanor which badly bruised my ego…"

_Egoistic maniac!_

"… I've decided to use force on you…" he finished his statement.

Again she rewarded him with not a glance as she pulled away from her bike and walked towards the café.

Ace, the egoistic maniac who used to be her ex-boyfriend that she-currently-didn't-know, was not one to be ignored however. He grabbed her wrist and acting fast, bearing in mind that she was quick to react or fight back even; he wrapped his other arm around her waist and brought her close to him. He leaned down and captured her ears and apparently her undivided attention with his proximity, forcefulness, and his hot breath.

"You will come back to me Mira…" he said in a firm yet slightly weakening voice.

Under normal circumstances, she would have flinched, blushed and giggled like the school girl that she was (well she was still in the same grade as Runo and Alice, home schooled as well…). But this was different.

Since her ex-boyfriend, she changed. From a meek cook, she became a ruthless butcher. Of course she'd rather the comparison using those terms since it suited her profession perfectly.

Instead of breaking down and fawning all over him, she grabbed his collar harshly; she earned a grunt from him.

This time she dumped her act, "Really Ace? How will you manage that feat? How will you manage to achieve that after shattering my heart, breaking it, pulverizing it and throwing it away?"

He chuckled again.

_She's feisty…_

"How? I've managed to make you fall for me the first time haven't I?" he whispered into her ear, "I can do that all over again… It'll be like riding…" he glanced pointedly at her bike "… A bike…"

Mira made her fingers touch his cheek lightly. She was teasing him; they both knew that.

"I'll look forward to that then…" she purred before raking her nails against his cheek, kicking him in the shins and throwing his head back towards the wall.

"If you can pull it off that is…" she added.

Ace let the girl go as she proudly walked to the entrance of the café.

Mira gritted her teeth and clenched her fists until her knuckled turned white. She was enraged, angry and she wanted so badly to explode.

_The carrots and potatoes are going to die later…_

Mira pushed the door open and caused it to slam against the back wall. Runo nearly jumped out of her skin, Alice was merely startled and Julie just threw a quizzical glance at the other red head.

"What got your tongue?" asked Runo.

"ACE GRIT!" Mira practically spat out, but tried to make sure that Ace wouldn't overhear her.

And those two words summed it up for them. The boy's name was a taboo for them to even think about; if Mira mentioned it, it only meant death for the ingredients she'll be mincing later.

"You mean that egoistic hottie is here?" asked Julie.

"He is most certainly _not_ a hottie!" Mira countered from inside the kitchen. She poked her head out of the doorway and said, "He's an egoistic maniac!"

Runo nodded and said, "I'll take that as a yes…"

"Why would he come here I wonder?" Alice mused aloud.

"Why you ask?" Mira answered while she vigorously stirred the muffin batter, "He just said that he wants me back!"

Runo's eyes widened and while she sensed the unnaturally hostile aura that Mira was emitting, she decided to ask her fellow-worker about it.

She saw the said girl distressfully waiting for her muffins to bake. "Mira?" she called out.

"Sorry, Runo…" Mira said as she exhaled, "I was just stressed out by that creep…"

"Don't worry…" Runo gave an assuring smile, "We all understand how you exceptionally loathe that man…"

Mira smiled appreciatively, "Thank you…"

After the Manager's words of appreciation, the hot-headed-butcher-side-of-Mira calmed down somewhat. She baked the muffins with more ease and more flexibly; like she usually does.

The bell above the door started chiming again. Mira glanced at the clock and saw that it was five minutes before opening time. She sighed and started heating up the pan. She already knew who came in exactly five minutes before the appointed opening or reopening time.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE AGAIN YOU FREELOADER?"

And Runo's outburst solidified her guess. She shook her head and chuckled silently.

_This is what makes me happy…_

_I just hope that ego-maniac won't ruin any of this…_

She went out with the tray of muffins skillfully balanced on three of her fingers. She spied Masquerade and his 'girlfriend', according to Julie, sitting on one of the chairs.

"Mira, could you please make a meal for that free-loader's girlfriend?" Runo asked exasperatedly.

Mira winked and said, "I was just about to do that…"

From the kitchen, Mira could faintly hear Jet bugging Masquerade with meager questions. But she found it cute nonetheless.

Even if it reminded her s painfully of her past self when she was fawning over the man who just claimed to reclaim her.

With the snap of that thought, her butcher side threatened to come out again. But she suppressed it. She wasn't about to lose control of herself and destabilize her emotions when she's done so much just keep them in check.

She took a few calming breaths. Last night's phone call unnerved her and made her feel blurry. As much as she hated him, as much as she wanted to bury him in the deepest depths of the recesses of her mind and heart; as much as she did everything in her power to destroy everything she used to feel for him, a part of her hollow heart still wanted him back.

She was still yearning for him and she was still hurting. After all, two years isn't much time for you to forget someone you seemingly spent half a year with, but felt like an eternity.

* * *

><p>Mira picked up the receiver of the wireless phone that hung on the wall. It was a few minutes past the eleventh hour of the evening and she was enjoying a midnight snack of pistachio gelato and crackers.<p>

"Hello?" she answered as she wedged the receiver between her shoulder and her ear and spooned some of the pistachio confectionary to spread on her cracker.

"Mira, it's me, Keith…"

"Oh, what's up?" she asked, slightly surprised by her brother's sudden phone call. She sat down and started spreading the gelato onto the cracker.

"How have you been?" he asked as she took a bite. She figured that he must have heard the crunching sound because he paused and waited for her reply, "Fine I guess… I've been working as a cook in my friend's café…"

"Runo's café you mean?" Keith clarified.

Mira replied with a muffled sound of affirmation. Her brother knew very well of her weird time interval in between her meal times, and she was thankful enough that he understood her clearly.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"Masquerade told me about it…"

"He's been bringing his girlfriend in there you know…" she added with a chuckle, "Anyway what made you call?"

"Is it unbelievable for me to call my darling little sister when I start missing her?" Mira had to scoff at that.

"First of all Keith," she started after recovering, "your excuse is lame and overused. Secondly, you are a certified no-nonsense person so there's absolutely no reason for you to call me merely because you miss me… Now tell me why you're calling."

She heard him chuckle, "You're so dense Mira… Anyway, your theories of me are correct and as much as I hate admitting that you're right, you're right…"

She waited as he paused. Keith's voice became softer and quieter, "Someone wants to talk to you…"

At those words, her heart started to pound madly against her ribcage. She felt like her knees were shaking. An alternate dimension where reason, logic and sense did not exist ate at the very core of her being. She knew she was sitting down, but she felt strained like she was squatting instead.

The gelato melted from on top of the cracker and caused the plain rectangular one to soften. The thick liquid dropped onto the table while another path made its way through the skin of Mira's wrist.

Then a voice came, a husky voice that she knew all too well.

It almost broke her patched-up heart.

It made her want to scream out.

It made her want to break down.

It made her want to release her butcher side forever.

"Mira… I'm so sorry…"

She dropped the receiver, but although it was no longer by her ear anymore, she could still hear what _he_ was saying.

"You didn't deserve those things I told you… You didn't deserve to be hurt by me… In fact I can say that you don't even deserve me… But Mira… All this time, these past two years were too painfully unbearable. You smile, your face, your eyes, your kiss and everything about you haunted me, in my sleep and even when I'm awake… Please Mira… Please forgive me… Please come back to me… Please give me another chance…"

He sounded so broken, so helpless and so desperate. He sounded the same was she sounded inside her head when he left her with nothing but a trampled-on dignity.

She took a quick calming breath before she picked up the receiver again. Her left hand felt sticky and dry. She discarded the cracker a while ago, but the feeling of the gelato on her hand remained distinct.

"Is this Ace Grit?" she asked seemingly oblivious of who her wooer was.

She heard a sob, "Yes Mira it's me…"

She grinned and sniggered, "You want me back? IN YOUR DREAMS!"

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you guys liked it… =D<strong>

**Honestly I enjoyed writing this chapter...**

**Oh and the last scenario, the telephone scene? It's actually a flashback... It's the phone conversation that made Mira gloomy before she talked to Haos_Nemus... =D**

**Anyway I'm kinda past my bedtime, so I'll just make it short…**

**Please do not hesitate to click the REVIEW button and feel free to convey your deepest darkest thoughts regarding the fic as it is greatly appreciated! =D**

**God Bless! =D**

**chquine_harvinellisse**


	5. Best friends

**Okay here's the update! =D**

**My other story will be temporarily in hiatus and I deeply apologize for that...**

**Although perhaps I have gotten my touch back for some reason…**

**We'll just have to wait and see… =D**

**Anyway, I don't know how I'm going to put in the Chan and Joe chapter that I'm going to make, but for now, here's a filler chapter… =D**

**I hope you guys enjoy this!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 5<p>

Best friends

Jet exhaled heavily as she stared down at herself.

She was wearing a summer dress; dresses weren't really her brand of clothes.

She sighed exasperatedly and planted her hands in her hips; making the yellow fabric stick to her skin and made her wince.

She was, in one word, disgusted with the clothes she was more or less, forced to wear.

The yellow spaghetti-strapped dress reached to her knees and denim shorts were visible against the light material. Her hair was in a bun right behind her left ear while some strands framed her face.

She started wondering how Masquerade even managed to make her wear these things.

_Oh right… That masked blonde hid all my clothes…_

She sighed exasperatedly. The prisoner, as she considered herself as such, walked across the carpeted floor with anxious breath as she waited for her jailer.

"Masky!" she shouted, "How long are you going to make me wait?"

Jet knew that she wasn't going to earn a response from him though so she slumped on the velvet sofa and waited.

_How did I get myself into this mess?_

* * *

><p>It was a day like any other. The warm and yet irritating summer sun beat harshly on the poor citizens residing under it.<p>

Jet was just one of the people that cursed their air conditioning systems for being broke at summer when they're mostly needed. Since her room wasn't cooler than any room in the dorm, she decided to just get up and go to the nearest window to cool down.

She grabbed her beloved pink Pegasus and walked out her room. She could vaguely hear gentle rapping on her door.

The newly-awakened girl opened the door and was met with something blue. She rubbed her eyes and drowsily said, "Go away, it's already hot as it is…"

A chuckle made her snap out of her sleep-induced stupor. Her eyes opened wide and she was starting to think that the heat was getting to her too.

"Masky?" the masked blonde winced.

"Seriously Jet, what are you, seven years old?" the blonde retorted.

"Oh shut it Masky…" she said as she scratched the back of her head, "What are you doing all the way here in Chicago at…" she glanced at the wall clock that hung behind Masquerade, "9 in the morning?"

"I'm here to pick you up…" he replied.

"Pick me up for what?"

He sighed and took the pink Pegasus from her hand and threw it to her bed. "Japan, now," he said as he took her hand, dragged her out of the room and kicked the door shut.

"Are you insane?" Jet protested; she wasn't really concerned with the other dorm-inhabitants who were still sleeping, "I can't go to Japan without my parents' consent; I'm still a minor!"

"I took care of everything for you," said Masquerade, "There's a cross country marathon in Japan…"

"Hold it!" Jet interjected, "Are you saying that you signed me up for that?"

He flashed a grin, "Of course…"

"Are you insane? I'm still in my pajamas! And I don't have anything to bring with me!"

Masquerade sighed and held up five fingers, "You have five minutes to pack up. Take only what is necessary…"

"Are you insane?" she repeated for the nth time this morning, "How am I supposed to pack up for five minutes?"

"After five minutes, we're leaving…" Masquerade said smugly, "Whether you're ready or not, we're leaving…"

"But what if I miss something?" asked the golden brown haired girl.

"Who do you think I am?" Masquerade retorted smugly, "Now hurry up, your clock's ticking…"

Jet sprinted to her room. Of course, running had never been an issue to her, but working under time pressure and panic was something new.

She opened her closet and grabbed all the clothes she could grab; stuffed them inside her suitcase. The panicking girl was casing a commotion and she knew it, but she could really care less. She knew better than to mess with her no nonsense best friend.

Really, she had no idea as to how she became his best friend when they were miles apart. She was in America and he was usually in Russia.

And though Jet wanted so badly to reminisce, she had three more minutes to spare.

Her clothes were relatively of one style. She liked wearing pants or jogging pants; a few shorts were there, but skirts were a rarity.

Knowing that she was going to a cross country marathon, Jet only took a few clothes with her. She stuffed them in her suitcase and with a slam and a click the suitcase closed shut. She was about to get her beloved Pegasus, but a hand grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the room.

"We're going!" Masquerade cheerily said as he pulled Jet out of the room and dragged her out despite the girl's protests about leaving her Pegasus behind.

* * *

><p>Jet sighed and the sound of the door opening didn't even cross her mind.<p>

"Well did I make you wait long Jet?" asked Masquerade coolly.

"Of course you did!" retorted the golden brown haired girl.

He took her by the hand and said, "Well let's go…"

"Where exactly are we going?" asked Jet.

"To the beach…" her eyes widened.

"You're not going to make a submarine surface from there and tell me that we're going back are you?"

Masquerade chuckled. "Where do you get those insane ideas?"

Jet poked his cheek, well what's visible of his cheek though. "From you; you're the insane one…" she said with a grin.

The masked blonde led his friend to the backyard and revealed two bikes.

"I never thought you were the old-type guy, Masky…" she teased as she eyed the bikes.

"Will you stop calling me by that pet name?" he retorted, "It gives me creeps!"

Jet chucked as she climbed on the bike. "So, are we in for another race?"

"Bring it on, Jet!" The masked blonde challenged as he climbed aboard his bike.

"Last one to the beach is going to drink a bottle of sake!" Jet merrily said as she pedaled off.

* * *

><p>A nine year old Jet sat by the curb of the sidewalk, her knees curled up to her chest and a bike was lying a few feet from her.<p>

Her blue eyes threatened of the incoming tears, but she seemed to be holding it in.

With a hiss, she stood up and rubbed her eyes vigorously. She walked limply towards her bike and picked it up.

She didn't dare climb on it again; instead she pushed it to the direction of her house.

"How pathetic…" said a cold voice.

The little girl's head snapped to her surroundings. She was often told of bad guys who come at innocent little girls when they were alone, though she was pretty sure that they sugarcoat their words and not insult their victims.

The blue-eyed little girl paid no heed to the cold voice and continued pushing her bike.

"You know, bikes are supposed to be ridden on and not pushed like pushcarts…"

She ignored the cold voice. She knew how she should use a bicycle; the only problem was she couldn't. And her knee hurt. She had scraped her knee when she fell off her bike and onto the curb where she was previously sitting on.

Unfortunately, the stranger's cold words threatened to move her to tears again. Did he really have to be that mean?

"And why are you limping like a weakling?"

She turned to the source of the voice and shouted, "Go away!"

Tears started to lid her eyes and she turned back to her way before she could see the face of the one who was being mean to her.

"Oh… so you fell off your bike… You really are pathetic…" the voice taunted again.

The little girl swallowed the forming lump in her throat and walked on. Their house wasn't far from there; she knew that her Mom would understand and her adopted sister would undoubtedly comfort her.

She needed to get away from the mean one.

"Don't worry… You're supposed to stumble to be stronger..."

_Great now he's speaking like an old man!_

She turned and said, "Who are you, you creep?"

Baffled was her initial expression when she saw who her pursuer was.

The boy was at least two years older than she was. He had smooth and shiny blonde hair that could put Newton's law of gravity to shame. He had a glass-like mask, but nothing underneath could be seen.

"I'm Masquerade…" he held out his hand, "You are?"

She eyed his hand and asked, "Are you a bad guy?"

He chuckled. "Maybe…"

She raised an eyebrow, "Yes, you are…" she nodded decisively.

"How mean… Well then what about a deal?" he reoffered.

She didn't respond, indicating that she was listening.

"If I help you learn how to ride a bike, you'll tell me your name…"

The girl shrugged and said, "Mom told me not to talk to strangers…"

"I am not a stranger," defended Masquerade, "I know who your mother is, I know who your father is; I even know who your adopted sister is…" he smirked and continued, "In fact I know who you are…"

"Why are you still asking if you already know me then?" she asked

"That's because I want you to introduce yourself like I did…" replied the masked boy.

"You're weird…" the little girl commented. She sighed and reached her hand out to shake his, "Okay… If you teach me how to ride a bike I'll tell you my name…"

Masquerade grinned as they shook hands as a formal method of introduction and said, "You can ask your mom about me… Just mention the surname Gehabich; she'll know who I am…"

The little girl nodded and continued pushing her bike home. Surprisingly, her new 'acquaintance', didn't bug her anymore. She walked home and her mom, who was sitting on the hammock by the front yard.

"Jet!" Her mother worriedly called out as she dropped her book and rushed to her daughter.

The worried older woman cleaned her daughter's wound quickly. "What happened honey?" she asked.

Jet sniffed and replied, "I fell off my bike and scraped my knee."

The older woman smiled fondly at her daughter and kissed her forehead, "That's okay sweetie… The first time isn't always perfect…"

The young girl nodded and asked, "Mommy, do you know anyone by the name Gehabich?"

"Gehabich…" her voice trailed off as she tried to think, "Ah! You mean Professor Michael?"

She shrugged and asked, "Do you know anyone by the name of Masquerade?"

"Yes! That boy is Professor Michael's grandson. Did you meet him?"

Jet nodded, "He told me that he was going to teach me how to ride a bike…"

The older woman clapped her hands together and said, "That's wonderful dear! I hear that he's a nice boy…"

Jet wanted to argue. But she was never someone who would just blurt out something without concrete proof. She merely nodded obediently and walked to her room that she shared with her adopted sister, Chaq.

Chaq was the same age as Jet, but Jet was older by four months. Despite the fact that Chaq was just adopted, the two got along well.

"Hi Jetty~!" she sang enthusiastically as she hung her head down from her bed which was on top of Jet's as they shared a double decked bed.

"Hey stop that! You're going to fall!" Jet scolded.

Chaq giggled and climbed down her bed and onto Jet's bed.

"You look a bit steamed Jetty…" the younger girl commented.

Jet sighed. She slumped on her bed and asked, "Why don't you try it Chaq?"

"Even if I want to, I can't..." Said girl smiled as she twirled with Jet's hair, "I have asthma remember? And it's not really a mild case…"

Jet sighed. "Yeah I know…" she rolled to her side and faced her younger sister, "Can you come with me tomorrow?"

"Why?"

"There's this Gehabich guy who wanted to teach me how to ride a bike…" replied the golden brown haired girl, "Please?"

Chaq nodded and said, "Sure… As long as I get to beat him up when he becomes too mean…" she grinned.

Jet bumped fists with her and chuckled, "Of course you can…"

"But you have to promise me that you're going to learn how to ride a bike no matter what," the amber-eyed girl challenged.

"Deal…" Jet winked.

"Jet! Chaq! Dinner's ready!" called their mom.

And with that the two girls ran down the stairs.

The next day, Jet and Chaq went to the park where the former met her mysterious 'acquaintance' a day prior.

Chaq sat on a bench and propped her chin on her palms while she toyed with a strawberry lollipop in her mouth with her tongue.

"Say Jetty, what's the name of your mysterious tutor again?" asked the younger girl as she briefly removed the lollipop from her mouth.

"Masquerade…" replied Jet as she impatiently bounced on the heels of her feet.

"That's a pretty shady name don't you think?"

"I think so…" the older girl replied, "But Mommy said that she knows him… She said he's the nephew…"

"Grandson…" corrected Chaq.

"Grandson," Jet quickly corrected herself, "of Professor Michael…"

"Well I can't argue with that…" a boy's voice suddenly burst in.

"Well… your Tutor is here, Jetty…" the younger girl grinned as she toyed with her lollipop with her tongue.

From behind the tall tree at the middle of the park, the masked boy emerged.

"Wow… he's so enigmatic…" Chaq said

Jet's head snapped to her younger sister and asked, "Do you even know what that means?"

The younger girl nodded and said "I looked it up in the dictionary; it means puzzling…"

The older sister merely shrugged as she turned back to Masquerade, "Are we going to start?"

The blonde merely chuckled and said, "Eager… Let's start."

The training session with the enigmatic-according-to-Chaq acquaintance ended without any problems.

"I don't think he's a bad guy Jetty…" Chaq said as she read her pocket dictionary.

The older girl turned to the younger one and asked, "Why do you think that?"

The amber-eyed girl shrugged as she put the dictionary away, "I don't know…" and she grinned.

"You're weird you know that?"

"Happy to be…" Chaq smiled innocently.

Jet sighed and said, "Well… I guess he is sorta… kinda… a good guy…"

"See? You agree to that too," the younger girl poked her sister's cheek.

Jet chuckled.

* * *

><p>Masquerade smirked as he parked his bike on the available stall on the beach.<p>

He had come first before Jet. "You lose Jet…" he taunted.

Said girl was panting like a dog. She was so tired she could barely pedal her bike anymore.

She pushed her bike to the sandy beach; when she got to the masked blonde's side she slumped along with her bike onto the sand, "Give me a break! I barely know this place…"

"You should have thought of that before challenging me…" said the masked blonde as he leaned down to her face, "Jet…"

The blue-eyed girl didn't seem to mind the proximity of her best friend's face. She sighed and gave up, "Fine you win…"

The blonde smirked and said, "I hope you have a high alcohol tolerance…"

Her eyes widened, "No way! You're really going to make me drink sake?" she stood up, "Are you insane? I'm a minor…"

"You really like that phrase, don't you?"

Jet smirked proudly, "That's because my best friend _is _insane…"

Masquerade waved his hand airily and said, "Anyway… Sake it is then…"

"Wa—wait!" Jet protested.

"What? Am I supposed to abide by your rules and you're not?" he asked; he sounded particularly whiney.

The girl chewed on her lower lip and thought about it. She sighed and said, "Fine. But if anything happens that's out of hand, you're officially responsible."

"I always am responsible for you, Jet…" he said as he slid a hand across the back of her shoulders and kept her close.

* * *

><p>The nine year old Jet finished the first few days of learning how to ride a bike. She was nearly there; she was so close to riding the bike.<p>

Today, she was waiting for her enigmatic-as-said-by-Chaq, acquaintance, Masquerade.

Chaq swung her legs to and fro as she sat on her usual bench. She was toying with the lollipop in her mouth.

Jet was also waiting anxiously. Masquerade didn't come yesterday, so she took the opportunity to practice all she could. In fact she had gone a few miles on her bike.

But she needed to show him.

Of course, she merely felt compelled to show the masked friend of hers how she has been doing under his guidance. Also she needed to keep her end of the deal.

Chaq commented the other night that her sister was too honest, but added that it was undoubtedly a good thing.

"Well, well Jet…" said the boy's voice, "I didn't expect you to come by…"

"I always keep my end of the deal…" the girl replied.

He jumped down from the tree and challenged, "Show me then…"

Somehow the blue-eyed girl was surprised with the boy's enthusiasm.

She mounted her bike and turned to her sister who mouthed 'You can do it' and gave her a thumb up.

The masked blonde watched with amusement as the nine year old balanced herself on her bike and stared dead straight ahead.

Slowly but surely, she pedaled. She started to leave the park's premises and started on the street.

Masquerade's smirk grew by the second and as Jet neared the curb of the other side of the street.

Jet smiled triumphantly as she got to the other side. She was so excited, her bike swerved to and fro, but she managed to balance herself and her bike by planting her foot on the road.

She turned to the other two and exclaimed "I did it!"

Chaq ran to her sister and gave her a hug, "That was great Jetty!" she caught herself and covered her mouth. "Oops!"

Masquerade approached the two and extended his hand. "Great job, my name is Masquerade, you are?"

Jet smiled as she gave him her hand, "Nice to meet you, I'm Jet."

And that was how it all began…

* * *

><p><strong>Done!<strong>

**Personally I have never ridden a bike in my entire life so I have no idea how to do it… =D**

****And I _do _want to be a sister of someone older than me... =D****

**I am so sorry to my readers…**

**Well… I'm finding myself to be engrossed in another anime, but since I don't want to delete another story, I promise I'll do my best to finish this and the other one…**

**Also I want to work on my account on Fictionpress… But we'll see… =D**

**Anyway please do not hesitate to click the REVIEW button and feel free to convey your deepest darkest thoughts regarding the story as it is greatly appreciated and is currently the only thing that keeps me going… =D**

**Have a nice day!**

**God bless!**

**chquine_harvinellisse**


	6. The Girl with the Dragon origin

**Hi guys!**

**It's been so long huh?**

**Anyway, since it's almost the sixteenth year of my existence, I've decided to give you guys, my loyal readers, an early birthday gift... =D**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 6<p>

The girl with the Dragon origin

A navy haired Chinese girl donning a teal and maroon school uniform made a mad dash for the cafe which is her workplace. It was already noon and her classes were all done.

After a glance at her wristwatch, she doubled her speed. Truthfully, all this running was hardly necessary considering she had enough time to attend her martial arts session, fix her things and get out of the brusque environment that is her school.

The only problem was, she was not able to get out of school unnoticed and while she never considered herself to be popular, she actually had a lot of haters. Unfortunately for her, a girl named Mylene is the 'leader' of her haters' cub and they caught wind that the 'Miss Perfect/Miss Scholar' worked at a cafe after classes.

That fact alone was a great blackmail material for the headstrong and fearless young lady and she was not about to let them know about her workplace.

She heaved out another sigh.

_Runo is not going to like this..._

She went through numerous pathways to lose her pursuers until she found a high wall that she could climb and mislead them completely. But that cost a lot of time.

She went through an alley that led to the back door of the Crest cafe.

"Sorry I'm late Mira!" She headed for her locker, stashed her bag inside and took out her uniform that hung from a hanger.

"Don't tell that to me," Mira said "Tell that to Runo..."

The navy blue haired girl paused by the door that led to the outside and said, "Sorry I'm late Runo! I had stalker problems to deal with…"

The aqua haired manager made a ring with her index finger and d her thumb and said with a wink, "Will do Chan!"

Said girl merely shook her head in amusement and disappeared behind the door that led to the restroom; although Chan wasn't particularly fond of their employee uniform, she wasn't one to complain since almost half of all of her expenses come from her job here.

She put on the French maid's uniform and smoothed the short black skirt laced with white. She tied the apron around her waist and put on her head dress. At times she wondered why she is even required to wear the complete uniform when her job is merely to wash the dishes.

She untied the ribbon that kept her hair in a neat ponytail. She was against the whole concept of literally letting her hair down but warmed up to it eventually.

The Chinese girl came out of the restroom and neatly hung her uniform on the rack inside her locker. She removed her leather school shoes and replaced them with a pair of comfortable black flats that allowed free movement. Without making a sound, she made her way to the sink where her dishes are waiting to be washed.

Chan and Mira were the ladies of the kitchen and have gotten increasingly close due to the lack of space.

"So I heard the mint ice cream head is back..." Chan remarked as she rinsed the plates and started diluting the liquid soap.

The red head scoffed as she dumped some garlic into the pan. "Don't even get me started with that jerk..." she said indignantly "I'd rather dump him in a boiling pot of cooking oil..."

The navy haired girl chuckled at that as she expertly tossed the plates to the side and causing their prompt landing on the drying rack. "But is t true that he's your brother's business partner?"

"That grim fact elates me..." Mira sarcastically said as she ceremoniously dumped the chicken flakes along with the bell peppers into the pan. "Truth be told, I don't want anything more to do with him; he's really tiresome..."

The navy haired girl made a sound of understanding at the back of her throat as she finished the rinsing and tossing process. She sniffed at the fragrant aroma that was called Mira's cooking.

"What do you plan to do with the jerk?"

"I'd like to send him to the Amazon as a package..." Mira muttered as she dipped a spoon to the juice that the mixture on the pan released. She nodded and added the cooked rice.

"I'd like to see the end of that..." Chan mussitated as she started wiping the plates and again tossing them to the rack, but this time to the dry rack.

The red head gave an appreciative grin as she stirred the contents of the pan. "What about you, how did you manage to lose those pursuers?" she asked.

"By climbing a few walls and going through a few alleys," the navy haired girl replied, "Fortunately they were wise enough to know that I can climb a wall and they can't..."

The two girls shared a short period of mirth before they resumed to their duties. Lunch was approaching and they had to make sure that their respective quarters were in order.

"Have you called your parents yet?" Mira asked the Chinese girl.

"If you mean my real parents then no, because as you already know, they're dead..." Chan said as she put five plates on a tray.

"Very funny..." the red head muttered as she turned the stove off and removed the pan. She distributed the rice evenly on the five plates. "I was talking about your stepmom..."

Chan shook her head. Her childhood was an uneventful one. "I'm sure she doesn't care about me anymore..."

"How can you say?" Mira asked, "She might be trying to find a way to see you... My father was the same you know..."

"You missed a little tiny detail, Mira," Chan said a bit ruefully. "He's your real dad and my mom is, as we all know, is my stepmom."

The two ladies would always engage in a healthy talk such as this. Both Mira and Chan find comfort in the fact that they're mature enough to understand what the other party means.

"Well I guess if you put it that way..." the cook's voice showed a hint of reluctance which wasn't unnoticed by the Chinese girl.

"Trust me Mira, if you were in my shoes, you would have the same mentality as I do..." Chan said.

Mira gave a lighthearted chuckle. "Well at least you're not going to deal with a mint ice cream haired jerk..."

"True, true..." the Chinese girl nodded as she placed the tray as skillfully as Mira did on three fingers. She made her way out and announced, "Lunch is ready!"

She received exhales and exclamations filled with jubilation from her peers.

* * *

><p>Julie was being unreasonably and increasingly bubbly, but they all understood why.<p>

"Billy's coming back next week!" The silver haired girl could not help but express her glee with the fact that her boyfriend is actually coming back.

"Honestly Julie, you might choke like that," Chan scolded gently.

They all understood the silver haired girl. They saw how much she missed her long distance boyfriend.

"What does he look like anyway?" The Chinese girl had to ask as she started chewing.

"Oh that's right," Julie turned to Chan "Billy left before you came here... Don't worry, you'll see him soon enough..."

Chan swallowed and asked, "Just one thing, is he good-looking?"

All turned to her in askance to which she merely shrugged her shoulders.

"It's easier for a couple to stay together if the guy's good-looking," Chan explained. She wiped the oil from her lips with a tissue and continued, "It gives a girl something to look forward to..."

Runo sighed. "Where exactly did you get that Chan?"

"A book my classmate was reading..."

The tan skinned girl clucked her teeth. "You obviously don't know the difference between reality and the books..."

The navy haired girl chuckled as she filled the spoon with some rice and shoved it into her mouth. "Sorry... I'm just a scholar girl who knows nothing about romance either in reality or the books..."

The silver haired girl gave out another sigh. "You'll know it when you experience it..."

Mira swung her spoon at Chan's general direction and said, "That kind of fairytale romance can only exist if your boyfriend is a charming boy named 'Billy' and not a jerk named 'Ace'."

The blue haired manager had to laugh at that, however the mirth died down when she noticed the other red head sitting sullenly while absent mindedly eating the contents of her plate.

"Alice?"

Said girl jolted up and stared into the curious gazes of her friends.

"Is something the matter Alice?" The other red head asked.

The brown eyed girl sighed. "Sorry... I just spaced out..."

"Are you expecting your brother to come by?" The Chinese girl asked keenly.

Alice's eyes widened. "How did you know?"

Chan winked and replied "I've seen how you stare at the window and usually your blonde brother is always seen through that window when he makes a grand entrance." She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Unless you're waiting for your boyfriend?"

"Leave it to Chan to be so observant..." Runo waved her hand as she sipped on her cola. "Honestly, how can you find out a lot of things when you're in the kitchen?"

The girl in question rolled her eyes towards the unsuspecting blue eyed girl beside her.

"Well now that we've gotten to the subject of that annoying asked menace Alice calls 'onii-sama', where is he?"

Julie turned to the almost-always-irate manager and asked, "You miss him already?"

Runo flicked her hair back and said, "Of course not! I'm just wondering where he is especially since Alice needs him now..."

"Why don't you tell it to us?" Mira suggested. "Is it too personal?"

Alice sighed and replied, "It's not really that personal; it's a bit shocking..."

Again the tension was as thick as when Runo was going to make an announcement.

"My grandfather is arranging me to get married to the grandson of his business partner."

There was a variety of reactions in the room, but Runo's and Julie's thoughts were more vulgar than the other two.

"Why on earth would your grandfather do that?"

The melancholic red head turned to the obviously baffled manager and smiled sadly like the good-natured girl that she is.

"It has something to do with your research and business right?" The Chinese girl asked.

Alice had to smile at Chan. "Your observances really amaze me Chan... But yes, what you said is pretty much true..." she replied.

They let a few moments of silence to let Alice collect her thoughts. She moistened her lips and continued, "Onii-sama has helped with grandfather's research and I haven't done anything of the same degree for the company."

"So he's marrying you off to a complete stranger?" The blue haired manager huffed. "It's hardly reasonable..."

"Grandfather loves us very much, but he wants us to be of help to the company..." Alice explained in her grandfather's defense. "He did say that he will call the deal off if I have a boyfriend already..."

"So your problem is a probable boyfriend?" Julie asked.

Mira waved her hand dismissively, "She just needs a pseudo-boyfriend until her grandfather calls the deal off. She doesn't need to engage herself in a real relationship which could be the biggest mistake if her young life..."

Runo grinned, "As much as I agree with Mira, it sounds very unlike Alice..."

However the red head's next statement surprised them, "Actually, I already have someone in mind..."

All eyes were undoubtedly on her and burned with curiosity.

"Well... As much as this conversation has been fun, we really need to prepare for the afternoon shift..." Chan said as she stood up and started collecting the plates. "Anyway, Alice... We all trust your sense of judgment so if it's going to be a pseudo-boyfriend or a boyfriend for real, think about it very carefully."

The Chinese and Russian girls exchanged smiled before Chan made her way back to her domain: the kitchen sink.

"You know I really admire Chan," Alice saw as she stood up and straightened her uniform up.

"That's the maturity you earn when you live the hard life..." Julie stretched her arms and followed Alice.

Runo nodded as she sipped on her cola. "Well we all could use someone like Chan right?"

They all nodded. "Right," Mira smiled.

* * *

><p>"Chan can you pass me a plate please?" Mira glanced at the said girl who was working behind her.<p>

The navy haired girl nodded and handed a plate to the cook. She took notice of the knife that was dangerously by the edge of the counter.

"Careful, you might..."

Before Chan could finish her sentence, the red head knocked the knife over. The Chinese girl precisely intercepted the fall of the utensil by hitting her ankle with the plastic handle of the knife. She balanced at the tip of her index finger and tossed it again in the air; this time, she caught it by the handle before handing it to Mira.

"Show off..." muttered the chef as she took the knife from the dish washer's hand.

In retaliation, Chan lightly hit the cook's arm. "You didn't even see me!"

An ascending and obviously angry male voice reached the ears of the two ladies in the kitchen. "ARE YOU PICKING A FIGHT?!"

Mira looked like she was ready to leave her station and give the shouting and a piece of her mind, but Chan's hand quickly found her shoulder.

It was a silent assurance that the Chinese girl will take care of the outburst. And it was new because usually, Chan was so against the idea of even leaving her sink.

A very angry male was standing by the counter; his upper body was slight lunged forward like he was daring the blue haired manager to fight back. The latter was standing casually in front of the man, but even Chan can tell that Runo is almost at her boiling point.

"You little wench," the customer bared his teeth, "Isn't there a policy called 'the customer is always right'?"

Runo raised her chin defiantly; as much as the customer had a point, the navy blue haired Chinese knew that their headstrong manager would never fight back without proper reason.

"Sir you openly harassed one if our waitresses, I think it's only fitting that you leave the establishment at once." The blue haired girl waved his receipt in front of his face.

"Harassed?" The man let out a choke and finally an incredulous look was plastered on his face. He pointed to Alice behind him who was cowering in the corner with Julie clasping the former's shoulder. "Your waitress moved so brusquely her legs kept on showing. Come to think of it," he glanced at Runo and said "This is your fault for making them wear such uniforms..."

The Chinese girl watched from a cautious distance. She could just blanch at the man's sticky stare at their uniform.

"Sir, please just settle your payment and leave..." Runo's patience was running dry, not that it was bountiful to begin with, but she tends to keep it professional.

And this wasn't covered in her book of careful professionalism.

This means she can do whatever she wants with the bastard.

"I'm the victim of your whore waitress and I still have to pay?" The man crossed his arms. "That sounds like something a lowlife slut will do..."

And in just a snap like that, Runo's patience just spilled out the window. She was about to hut the man square in the jaw, but a hand held firm around her fists.

"Sir, with all due respect, please leave…" Chan said in a more controlled yet compressed manner than Runo's tone. "You are disrupting our work area and it is wasting our time…"

The customer favored her with another sticky look that could attract flies from a distance. Chan narrowed her eyes to emphasize her sharp brown Chinese eyes, but apparently her assaulter was too engrossed in staring at her intently.

"This place is filled with sluts…" he said with exhilaration. "No wonder this place is such a hit." He extended his hand to the navy haired Chinese's face that remained deadpan and immobile.

Only when the male's skin brushed against her chin did she react rather violently for his tastes. She grabbed his hand and twisted it behind his back.

"I'd rather if you didn't stare at me or my friends with that kind of pathetic gaze or touch any of us with those filthy fingers…" she said venomously with a subtle glint of anger in her eyes. "I won't hesitate to break a phalange or two if you show your gruesome face again…"

The man squeaked in a pathetic manner when he saw the animosity of a dragon in Chan's eyes alone. He wiggled and the Chinese girl graciously let him go but her gaze was firm on him.

Like a man possessed, he took out his wallet and took out the bills without even bothering to count them first. With a loud slap, he placed the money on the table, gathered his things and quickly went out.

"Well…" Mira came out and placed a tray of steaming soup on a table. "The Dragon girl took care of that…" she grinned at Chan.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure?"<p>

The navy haired girl nodded at her manager's question. "You've all had a hard time today and my classes don't start until late in the morning so I can take care of the cleaning up myself…"

Runo looked a bit reluctant.

"What?" Julie interjected. "You don't trust Chan?"

Runo shook her head and explained, "It's not that… It just seems a bit unfair for me…"

Mira put a hand on the Chinese girl's shoulder and asked, "Why suddenly ask for this?"

"I just don't want to go home yet…" Chan replied. "I won't take long don't worry…"

The others shared glances before they finally nodded and went to their lockers to change.

Alice was the first one to get out and she saw Chan wiping the tables.

"Chan?"

The said girl turned to the red haired Russian who smiled, "Thank you…"

Although those words seemed to be a bit too vague, the navy haired girl smiled at Alice and said, "Though I'm not sure what you're thanking me for, I'm happy to be of help…"

Alice chuckled and bade the girl farewell.

They all left at the same time and Chan was left completely alone. The atmosphere was eerily quiet and the crickets outside could be heard clearly.

This was the kind of environment that the Chinese girl liked. It was like a large meditating field where she can think and hear herself think.

"Father…" she muttered, "I understand that there are some things that happen that are beyond your control and I will admit that our uniforms _are_ a bit out of hand, but is that kind of behavior really excusable?"

One of Chan's odder traits is her habit of talking to herself when alone. She lost her mother when she was three years old; her father was the only one she had left. Though her father did everything he could to keep the little girl fee loved, he felt as if it was still inadequate; so he married another woman.

When she was thirteen, her father died from the same illness that claimed her mother. She was rumored to have the same disease and so their clan decided to send her into exile in Japan to keep the accursed illness from spreading any longer.

Her stepmother, Xian Lee was the one who proposed her exile to Japan. She claimed that Chan was an 'impure heiress' for carrying her parents' disease.

Although Chan was mature enough to not harbor ill-feelings towards her stepmother, she cannot deny that it pained her to be away from her home. She did not hate her stepmother, she merely avoided meeting with the woman to prevent salt from penetrating her open wounds.

After cleaning up the tables and ensuring that the plates were placed in their respective places, she changed to a pair of jogging pants and a comfortable shirt. She _did not_ want to go home in her uniform whether at school or at the café.

She locked all doors and windows before she set off.

The wind was a little chilly and after glancing at her wristwatch, she saw that it was already 11 in the evening.

She caught wind of multiple voices in the distance; decided that it would be better to steer away from them.

However her sense of judgment told her to interfere. The voices sounded like they were ganging up against someone.

She made her way there and indeed there was a bunch that formed a circle around a helpless figure.

This kind of scene truly disgusted her.

If Mira had a butcher side, Chan had an original side that came, predictably, from a dragon.

"Hey!"

Apparently that single word caught their attention so she continued, "Don't you have anything better to do than bully someone in the middle of the night?"

"Really? What about you little girl?" The biggest of them all taunted her, "Did your daddy forget to pick you up from the nursery?"

Chan raised an eyebrow as the group started laughing. In her opinion, nothing was and nothing will ever be funny about that horrid statement.

"What about you? Did your owner forget to leash mongrels like you?"

Her retort took them by surprise; not in a pleasant manner even.

She smirked as their undivided and collective attention focused solely on her. She stood and kept her ground.

They came at her all at once and the Chinese girl could not help but widen her smirk.

_What an outdated tactic…_

Within minutes, a lot of slamming and pushing, Chan managed to weave her way out of the mess of mongrels.

She sighed and made her dash home. She wasn't in the mood to talk to the one she just rescued so she left without a proper introduction.

The last thing she could remember clearly was changing into her pajamas before falling off into a blissful and well-deserved sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>That's a wrap!<strong>

**I'm sorry if it seemed rushed in the end and if Joe wasn't mentioned here (Or was he?)…**

**But anyway, please do not hesitate to click the REVIEW button and feel free to convey your deepest darkest thoughts regarding the fic as it is greatly appreciated…**

**God bless!**

**chquine_harvinellisse**


	7. Setbacks

Chapter 7

Setbacks

Runo was wiping the tables when she heard the bell ring. Mira rushed to the kitchen without uttering a greeting to her. She shrugged it off and walked back to her cashier.

"Is there something wrong with Mira?" Alice asked.

Julie turned to the direction of the kitchen and said, "Must be that time of the month again…"

"Even Chan's stressed out about the necklace she lost…" Alice muttered.

Runo just waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry guys. I'm sure it's just a minor setback for both of them. They work in the kitchen and they know more than anyone else how important their positions are…"

She started fixing her register. As manager, she needed to make sure that everything was in proper place. Her adopted parents expected a lot from her; not that she holds it out against them, but she tries to live up to them.

And she starts with an organized register at the start of the day.

The soft ringing of the bell alerted all of the girls in the café of the arrival of their daily unruly guest. Runo paused from counting the money and said, "When are you ever going to learn to come when we're open…" she paused to put emphasis on his name but froze when she saw Jet instead of Masquerade. Her face mirrored exasperation and annoyance.

"Jet is something wrong?" Alice asked as she went to the girl's side.

Jet turned to Runo and asked, "Can I… Can I work here in the meantime?"

The surprised look in the manager's face made Jet continue, "Well… It's okay if you don't pay me… I just needed to get away from Alice's deranged brother for a while."

Runo smiled. "Sure… We wouldn't mind the extra hand. Though, you wouldn't mind the uniform right?" She gestured at the maid outfits that Alice and Julie were wearing.

Jet gulped and nodded shakily. "I'll endure… I probably won't have problems with the roller blades…"

The manager smiled widely and said, "Welcome to the crew, Jet!" She gestured to Alice and Julie, "Those two can deliver orders; you can take them from table to table. Once you get an order, you deliver it to me so I can record it, understand?"

Jet nodded attentively. "I'll do my best!"

"Just look at it as a perfect opportunity to keep your mind off that masked blonde for a while…" Runo added thoughtfully as she started organizing the register again.

"We'll keep our eyes peeled and ears open for that motorcycle of his," Julie told her.

Jet nodded and said, "Thank you guys…"

"Chan won't be here 'till noon, so it'll be a pleasure to work with someone…" Runo winked as she closed the register.

"I've found the spare uniform!" Mira called from the kitchen.

"I'll… I'll be right there!" Jet said.

She made her way to the kitchen to change into the café's uniform.

"I wonder what happened between her and onii-sama," Alice wondered aloud. "It must be pretty drastic for Jet to look that upset…"

"You think it's that bad?" Julie asked.

Alice nodded. "It is… Jet and onii-sama have been friends for a really long time. They used to fight, but they all reconcile by the end of the day."

"Well then maybe this is just a minor setback," Runo said. "The day's just starting; they can reconcile by the end of today…"

Julie nodded and sent a knowing grin towards Runo's direction. "Has someone been trying to act mature?"

"What are you talking about? I'm just telling the truth!" Runo said smugly. "And besides, being pessimistic really won't change anything now won't it?"

The truth is Runo has been mulling over about her maturity as manager. Whenever they had lunch, Chan would always dominate the conversation with her unbiased comments and her calm manner of introducing her idea. She wondered if by chance she would be a whole lot better if she were somehow like the matured university student.

Since then she resolved to be more mature in many aspects. She paid attention when Chan talked; would ask questions as frequently as possible.

Unfortunately for her, the Chinese girl has her own dilemma to take care of.

But Runo saw it as an opportunity for improvement. She would try to mature without asking for Chan's help.

And so with that in mind, she had a different mood when they opened for the day.

* * *

><p>Jet was quite good with the roller blades. She did exactly as she was told and if it wasn't for the fact that she didn't have a name tag, Runo would have mistaken her for a regular employee.<p>

The customers weren't really big trouble and Runo was thankful enough for that. They sat all together for lunch just as Chan came in. Like yesterday and the previous days, the Chinese girl had a perplexed look on her face.

"Are you okay, Chan?" Julie asked as she swung her fork at Chan's general direction.

She seemed to have awakened from a stupor when she replied, "Oh… I'm fine…"

"Is it about your necklace?" Mira inquired as she picked up Chan's fork and scooped up some pasta for the troubled girl.

She took the fork and toyed with it for a moment before she put it in her mouth and started chewing. "My father gave me that necklace… So naturally it's really important to me…" she dropped the fork and buried her face in her hands. "I can't believe I lost it!"

"What does it look like?" Jet inquired. "I might have seen it before…"

"It's a chain necklace," Julie stated, "The pendant is a metallic circle that's about this thick," she then demonstrated the thickness with her thumb and forefinger, "And a four-pointed metallic light blue star is inscribed in it."

Jet considered for a moment before she shook her head. "Sorry… I haven't seen anything like that in these parts…"

Runo took Chan by the hand and said, "Don't worry; I'm sure things will work out somehow…"

Chan nodded and continued eating.

Runo bit her lip when she saw the expression on Chan's face. Her words were highly matured, but it wasn't able to help. In fact she seemed like she was lying to Chan.

She looked down and continued eating again.

"How are you finding work here, Jet?" Mira asked the girl who sat across her.

Jet smiled and shrugged. "Well... If it wasn't for the frilly skirt, then I'd be really enjoying this..."

They all shared a chuckle and Chan added, "At least someone understands me..."

The sound of a motorcycle's engine reached their ears; all six looked out the window to see if the masked blonde was there but met with nothing. Jet started to panic.

"Oh man! I have to hide!"

"Under the cash register!" Alice, Julie, Mira and Chan suggested frantically.

Runo nodded as she took her place in the register and pretended to count the bills, check the registry and the delivery rates, add up the sales and all the other things that a good manager must do.

Chan made her way to the bathroom and Mira smiled at it. It was a decoy tactic no doubt.

When the purple motorbike that undoubtedly belonged to Alice's older brother, they managed to clean up their plates and start cleaning up the cafe for the afternoon shift.

Runo cleared her throat of the lump within it and started making a non-existent inventory.

"Has Jet been around here?" He asked immediately when he came inside.

Jet, who was hiding under the register and from the masked blonde clenched her fist.

"Why do you think she'd be here?" Runo asked.

"Because this is the only place that she knows here in Japan..." he replied simply.

"Did something happen between you two, onii-sama?" Alice asked innocently.

Jet frowned and made a rude face while under the register.

"Well... we got into a fight..." Masquerade started. "It's my fault primarily..."

"So you've come to apologize to her?" Julie winked.

Masquerade nodded and asked, "So have you seen her?"

Runo gave Jet a brief glance and gave her an inquiring look.

Jet shook her head and brought a finger to her lips.

"No. We haven't seen her." Runo said nonchalantly as she finished the imaginary inventory she was occupying herself with.

"Isn't that a first?" Masquerade smirked as he stared pointedly at the 'inventory' Runo was doing.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

Masquerade pointed to the inventory book. "You never check the inventory at break time..." he pointed out cleverly.

The manager didn't know if she was going to be embarrassed by that fact or she's going to hit the masked blonde to hell for obviously underestimating her determination to be a good manager.

"Well surprise, surprise..." Runo said smugly as she successfully composed herself. "I'm taking on the more responsible and more matured me now..."

"Really?" Masquerade asked skeptically.

"Well I figured that I can't be childish anymore now that I'm a manager of a cafe," Runo continued confidently. "And besides, being responsible is way better than..."

"Are you sure you can handle it?"

Runo stopped midway from making a word and stared at Masquerade.

"You know that's not you, Runo," he continued, "Setbacks often come out of people that try too hard to be something that they're not..."

"What are you saying?"

He shrugged. "It's up to you to find out; you're mature now aren't you?"

"You're clearly mocking me!" Runo exclaimed angrily.

Masquerade left with a smirk as Runo started to muse about what the blonde had said.

Jet came out of her hiding place once the motorbike's engine faded away into the distance. She sighed as she stretched out her sore limbs.

"If he thinks that he can get forgiveness through that he's obviously mistaken..." Jet muttered as she sat on a chair to put on her roller blades.

Alice chuckled as she put away the mop and followed Jet's example. "Was it really that bad?"

"You wouldn't want to know the half of it..." she said with a smile.

Julie came out of the storage room with her roller blades on. "Look at Runo. She seems so dazed..."

All three turned to the manager who was still holding the fake inventory book in her hands. She seemed like a statue who had the expression of someone perplexed.

"Runo?" Alice called out, "Is something wrong?"

And just like that the manager got out of her stupor and she blinked. "Yeah?"

"Are you alright girl? You seem a bit troubled..." Julie mentioned.

Runo shook her head and lightly slapped her cheeks. "I just spaced out..." She smoothed out her ponytails and called out, "Mira!"

After receiving a 'What?' from Mira, she continued, "Are you guys ready?"

"Yeah. We can re-open anytime..." Mira said.

Runo nodded as she went to the glass door to change the sign.

* * *

><p>"You again?"<p>

Dan covered his ears from Runo's screech that welcomed him when he came in. "Could you keep it down?! I'm a customer too you know!"

Runo folded her arms across her chest and sighed. "Just make sure you pay today... I don't have the patience to deal with runaway customers..."

Dan blinked at her. "Fine!" He took a seat at the table farthest from Runo and made his order.

"Well, is that customer a trouble-maker?" Jet asked as she made her way to the cashier to pass the order on.

"He didn't pay when he came here the first time; so naturally I have my eye on him." Runo said as she input the order without looking. She had gotten accustomed to the automated input machine and doesn't even need to look when she's putting in an order.

"No wonder you're so hot on him..." Jet chuckled.

"But I've let it go since he paid the second time he came," Runo noted as Jet went to Dan's table to get his order.

The usual routine continued. Jet took orders and passed it on to Runo who gave it to Mira and Chan who cooked the order and gave it to either Alice or Julie who brought the order to the customer.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm definitely going to pay now," Dan said as he approached the register. He took out his wallet and handed the bills to Runo.

She took it gratefully and placed it inside. "Thank you sir; come again."

"What ate you?" He asked rather rudely.

"Excuse me?" Runo asked while restraining her temper.

"You're not that noisy and hot-tempered manager that is managing this cafe..." he replied honestly.

"That's not it," she said as her patience started to grow thin. "I'm merely trying to make myself into a better manager."

"Yeah well, the one who used to be the manager here was good enough," he said as he left and waved a hand behind him.

Again, Runo found herself transfixed by the words that Dan left her with. It was somehow of the same tone that Masquerade had before he left.

She ended the day with a daze and afterwards she and Alice went back to their apartment. The first thing she did when they got there was grab her notepad and the cordless phone.

Runo started calling her contacts to settle the dates and prices of their deliveries.

"What do you mean you don't have coffee beans to give me anymore?" She nearly screamed at the phone and knocked out her notepad.

Alice was just passing by the kitchen and she nearly jumped a foot in the air when Runo suddenly spoke loudly.

"I don't care if you've been having some internal issues; my business will be greatly affected by your lack of service," she paused for a bit and her grip on the phone tightened, "Well you could have at least informed me earlier... Didn't you know that tomorrow is a working day? I don't care what has been happening in your plantation and I really could care less... I also have a business to run which by the way will be ruined if you don't deliver those coffee beans tomorrow."

She pressed the end button and banged the phone on the table. She glanced at the notepad that she had and frowned. She had crossed out the names of the deliveries that were secured for tomorrow, but the only one that will not make it tomorrow, is the one of utmost importance. She sighed and rubbed her temples.

"Runo?" Alice called out tentatively.

"Oh sorry." Runo jerked up to meet Alice's eyes. "The coffee bean delivery won't make it tomorrow..."

"We'll just have to close for tomorrow then," Alice patted her shoulder, "Don't worry Runo; it's just a day..."

Runo shook her head and said, "Mom and Dad will see that I didn't serve today and they'll definitely ask about that..."

"So just tell them that the coffee beans didn't come today; I'm sure they'll understand," Alice said comfortingly.

"No they won't," Runo insisted, "They'll think I'm irresponsible and unfit for being a manager..."

"Runo, your parents know you; I'm sure they won't think of you badly if you skip just one day of work..." Alice said as she handed a mug of warm milk to her.

She took the mug in her hands and stared at the white liquid inside.

"You've been spacing out lately," Alice noted as she stood up to make a glass for herself. "Maybe you could use a break..."

Runo considered for a moment before she nodded. "I guess I do need a break." She picked up the cordless phone and said, "I'll go call the others.

_Julie has some charity work aside from the job._

_Mira knows a lot about cyberspace; so her brother is making her manage their online selling business._

_Chan has school in the morning and not much time at night._

Runo sighed as she evaluated those things. She bit her lip.

_Everyone has other things that they need to take care of and all I'm thinking about is my reputation to my foster parents?_

She sighed.

_Maybe acting mature isn't really my kind of thing..._

She shook her head and corrected that thought.

_Acting mature isn't my kind of thing..._

_Because I'm not..._

_I still need to learn_

_And it would be better to not rush things..._

She smiled, nodded and took out the phone to dial the numbers of her employees.

* * *

><p>"What are you doing here?"<p>

Runo turned to Dan who was just as surprised as she is.

"Do you own this court for you to say that?" Runo snapped.

Dan shrugged, "Well we've built this court from the ground; up, so I could say that I have ownership here..."

"Well sorry," Runo said, "I never knew that this court was yours, Kuso!"

Dan let himself a small smile. He placed the ball between his feet and said, "I see the old manager that beat me within an inch of my life is back..."

Runo whipped away from him and retorted, "I have a name you know..."

"Yeah well, they call you 'Runo' right?"

"You make it sound like it's a dog's name..." Runo narrowed her eyes at him.

Dan shrugged and said, "Sorry?"

She sighed and stretched out her hand, "I'm Runo, Runo..." she paused; thought of what surname she will tell him, "Runo Marakura." She decided to settle for her adopted family's last name.

"Whoa! Really? You're a Marakura? How come I don't know you? You're related to Marucho?"

How on earth did he know about her foster brother? She sighed and decided to come clean with it, "He's my foster brother..."

"No wonder the decors in the cafe were familiar." Dan continued ranting, "It was Marucho's idea wasn't it?"

Runo raised a brow, "How do you know Marucho?"

Dan replied with a grin, "Well he's one of the kids that helped build this basketball court. We come from way back along with Shun. Unfortunately that guy had to take care of their business and flew out of the country."

Runo smiled, "Well, I guess Marucho still left out some details of his temporary stay here in Japan..."

"How is that little hotshot?"

She shrugged, "Well he said that things have been stressful..."

"Sure it is..."

He kicked the ball upwards and caught it in his hands and asked, "Do you want to play ball?"

Runo nodded enthusiastically.

* * *

><p>After roughly an hour and a half of playing ball, Dan found out that Runo was quite the athlete when it came to basketball.<p>

"You're good at this..." he told her.

"Well, I didn't really play dolls when I was a kid," she smiled. The orphanage was a toxic place. Whenever she saw dolls, she saw other kids snatching them up so she didn't bother joining the fray of little girls that tugged and pulled on the doll parts. She settled for the boys that went after balls and jumped after hoops. It made her feel a lot better than screeching and crying over some doll.

"Well, I need to go," he said as he stood up. "It was nice to see you Amazon," he grinned as he ran off.

Runo was stunned for a moment before she screamed at the top of her lungs.

**"YOU UNGRATEFUL BASTARD!"**

* * *

><p><strong>Done!<strong>

**I'm sorry the basketball scene was short and I'm sorry that I'm not able to update in such a long time...**

**Anyway, please do not hesitate to click the REVIEW button and feel free to convey your deepest; darkest thoughts regarding the fic as it is greatly appreciated... =D**

**God bless!**

**chquine_harvinellisse**


	8. Terms and Conditions

**OH MY GOSH! I am so sorry that I haven't updated in like... forever...**

**So here I am to give you the latest chapter! YAY! =D**

**The next one is in progress... Again I am sorry for that... **

**Anyway... ENJOY! =D**

* * *

><p>Chapter 8<p>

Terms and conditions

.

Alice stood in front of her full-length mirror and studied herself. She'd liked imagining herself wearing different clothes while staring at her reflection in the mirror. While she's never been a vain person, she still found pleasure in the mere action of imagining how she looked like with certain clothes on her.

Tonight was different. She's been imagining herself in a white wedding dress, complete with the frills and ribbons (like the ones in the magazines), and she decided that she looks… caged in it. Sighing, Alice sat down on the floor and still saw her reflection wearing that wedding dress.

She's found a pseudo-boyfriend prospect, but how do you tell a complete stranger that you want him to be one? It's like a blatant kick to his pride.

On the other hand if she waited for Shun to approach her, she might already be engaged to Klaus. And she blanched. It's not that Klaus was a bad guy, but he was narcissistic and egocentric and that didn't really make him attractive.

Her grandfather had sent her an e-mail telling her that he wanted to talk to her and she's been tying to gather her wits since then. She thought that looking in the mirror and putting her mind elsewhere would help but all it's done so far was trouble her more.

"Alice?" Jet's voice came from the hall. She'd been staying with them since her argument with Masquerade. "Runo's done cooking dinner."

Collecting herself, Alice took a deep breath and replied, "I'll be right out."

She forced herself away from the mirror and headed to the dining area of their apartment. Runo and Jet were already sitting on the chairs and the two girls got along rather quickly. Runo liked how Jet was boyish and Jet liked how Runo was headstrong.

"So you have an adopted sister?" Runo asked.

Jet nodded. "Yeah. She's back at home and is probably doing something absurd. It's like her to do that."

They both noticed Alice and her forlorn expression. Runo was the first to ask, "Is something wrong Alice?"

"Well… Do you know where I can find that Dan person?" Alice asked.

Runo nodded. "Yeah, he always hangs out at the court during weekends. Why?" Her eyes widened and she gasped dramatically, even for her. "Don't tell me he's your pseudo-boyfriend prospect? Are you out of your mind Alice?!"

To this, Alice was quick to defend herself. "No! It's just that… Well his friend… That Shun guy is…" a genuine blush covered her cheeks. "He's the… prospect…"

"But doesn't he have a girlfriend?" Runo asked skeptically. Though she knew that Alice wasn't that type of person, desperation can make someone crazy.

Alice shook her head. "His girlfriend broke up with him when they came to our café. And…" the mere thought of that _intense _kiss they shared made her blush darken. "Well… he's, by far, the only bold one…"

Despite her inexperience in the field of relationships and love, Runo's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "WHAT DID THE TWO OF YOU DO THAT NIGHT?!"

Jet nearly jumped off her seat at the outburst but when she got the message she shared the same sentiment. "IS HE A PERVERTED GOOD-FOR-NOTHING?!"

Alice put up her hands defensively. "No. Well… we just kissed." She wisely chose to keep the tongue part of their kiss from them. Runo and Jet are quite conservative and inexperienced in the area and telling them anything further would make them snap. She'd been so confident about using Shun when he kissed her, but now she doesn't know how to put her plan into motion.

There was deathly silence until both Runo and Jet snapped, "YOU **_JUST_** KISSED?!"

"It was just an innocent peck…" Alice lied.

"It doesn't matter if it was **_just_** a peck or a **_torrid_** one," Runo said, emphasizing each syllable.

Jet nodded. "I thought your brother would keep a closer eye on you."

Alice shrugged. "So? Are you going to help me, Runo?"

Sighing, Runo answered, "It's not like I have a choice here. It's either you getting married to a punk or you hooking up with a no-good pervert… Fine… I'll help you to get in contact with that Shun guy…"

"Thank you, Runo." Alice smiled. "What about you Jet?"

"Well… Masky hasn't made any move to apologize personally, so I guess I'll tag along," Jet replied. "I'm sure he knows I'm staying with you guys anyway…"

Runo nodded and said, "Well… The food's getting cold. We should eat now."

* * *

><p>The next day, Runo, Alice and Jet went to the basketball courts and watched the boys there play. Shun and Dan were there, playing with a other group of boys. "I suddenly want to play…" Runo muttered.<p>

"Maybe we can play after they have," Jet suggested.

"You play too?" Jet nodded. "I really like you now, Jet…" Runo said with a smile.

The game went on until Shun scored a three-point shot; that was when the game ended. Dan caught sight of Runo sitting on the bleachers and gave her a wave. "Hey! It's the Amazon-lady!"

"Stop calling me that, you idiot!" Runo shouted. She got down and said, "My friend has some business to take care of with yours." She glanced pointedly at Shun.

Dan turned towards Shun who had his back turned to them and with a bottle of water to his lips. "Is your friend a fan of Shun?"

Runo socked him in the head. "No you dimwit! She needs to talk to him for a favor."

Dan winced. "You know… Shun isn't really in the mood to talk to fan girls right now… It's a weekend and our only day off from school…"

"It'll just take a minute," Alice stepped in. "I'd just like to talk to him…"

"Oh it's you," Shun muttered from behind Dan. "You're that girl who returned my wallet…"

Alice nodded. "I'd like to talk to you, Shun…"

They held each other's gazes for a moment. Alice will be losing a whole lot of things if she doesn't at least try to be brave. Shun nodded and said, "I'll just change. Dan, do you and your girlfriend want to come along?"

"That Amazon is **_NOT_** my girlfriend."

"That thief is **_NOT _**my boyfriend!"

Dan's eyes widened. "I'm not a thief! I paid for that meal, didn't I?!"

"And I am not an Amazon either! You just happen to be in my radar for bad guys!"

Shun sighed and turned to Alice, "Well? What do you want to talk to me about?"

Alice shifted uncomfortably and asked, "Can't we do it in a more private place?"

"Why? Are you going to confess to me?" Shun smirked.

The red-haired Russian girl blushed visibly. "It's something like that…"

"Alright… Follow me…" Shun said as he threw off his towel and walked off with Alice following behind him.

Runo watched them as they left. "I hope Alice doesn't have much trouble."

"Nah… Shun's in a state of nonchalance since he broke up with Fabia," Dan explained. "He'd take on anyone now… You're friend is in trouble…"

Runo clenched her fists angrily. "She's in trouble either way."

Jet came up to Runo and asked, "Should we follow them?"

"Bad idea," Dan said, crossing his arms behind his head. "Shun will know if anyone he knows is following him. The dude's a ninja…"

* * *

><p>"Can I ask where we're going?" Alice asked as she aimlessly followed Shun to the city.<p>

"To the place where Fabia and I always went to," he replied. "You know her right?"

Nodding, Alice replied, "Your ex-girlfriend."

"The earlier you know that I'm still not over her, the better," Shun said.

His actions are so unpredictable and surprising that Alice started to doubt that Shun is the right person to ask for help. He loves his ex-girlfriend, Fabia; even though he may have just seen her as his mother's mirror-image.

"I…" Alice started. "I might be able to help you…"

He scoffed. "Oh really? How are you going to do that?"

At this point, nothing mattered. All she cared about is not getting married to some narcissistic jerk. "Once you hear my terms, you'll understand."

Interested, Shun nodded. "Fine… I'll listen. Are you fond of sweets?"

She nodded and he said, "Good. Fabia does too…"

They sat across one another and right after ordering, Shun started to stare at Alice intently. He memorized her face, the shape, her eye color and her lips that tasted better than they looked.

"I'm all ears now," Shun said. "But tell me, what's your name?"

"Alice," she replied, "Alice Gehabich."

"Are you related to that old man that's been making scientific breakthroughs?" He asked his stare as intense as it has been since they got there.

She nodded meekly. No one has been so bold as to stare at her like that. Not even the boys who admired her thought of ever doing that.

"So what's your deal?"

Taking a deep breath, Alice continued, "I want you to pretend to be my boyfriend."

Her frankness was so sudden that even Shun was surprised. "Really now? You don't seem like the type who doesn't have one."

_Everybody says that to me..._

"Do you think I'd be here if I had one?" She asked him. Alice wasn't stupid and she wasn't raised to be stupid either. She'd learned that if she wanted something, she'd have to pay a price, as with her grandfather. "My lack of a boyfriend is the main reason why I need one right now. My grandfather is marrying me off."

"I fail to see where this can actually benefit me," Shun remarks sarcastically but in truth, he's open to the idea.

"You… You just broke up with Fabia right?" She asked him. Her words, her actions and her audacity scared her, but desperation clung to her like a disease. She needed Shun to agree to her terms. No matter what other conditions he has in for her, she would just accept it. It's for her good anyway. "I can…" she swallowed hard. "I can be her replacement."

"Do you really think it's that easy to be Fabia's replacement?" Shun asked. "First of all, Fabia's a headstrong girl, unlike you who's so soft-spoken and meek. She threw me when we first met. She isn't some prissy who needs pampering and care. She's a rule-breaking goddess and…" he leaned close to Alice, "She kisses like a beast."

At the last words, Alice blushed. The way he described Fabia was so… dignified. It was like he really _adored_ her even though she was rough. Alice wasn't so sure that she could be a headstrong girl, but maybe she can be a blind sheep for him if he wants. She couldn't throw Shun even if she wanted to, but maybe she can let herself be swung around by him. She didn't need pampering and care; she just wants to get out of the marriage. She couldn't be a rule-breaking goddess but maybe she can try, it is for her sake after all.

Lastly, Alice can't kiss like a beast, but maybe she can submit to a beast.

Suddenly her plan sounded so absurd to her ears.

"You'll be reduced to nothing but a puppet, a doll and a plaything," Shun continued; his breath hot against the shell of Alice's ear and cheeks. "Think you can handle that, _Miss Gehabich_?"

Shuddering at his sudden actions, Alice pondered for a moment. Did she dare _listen_ to this person? She suddenly wondered how far they've gone in their relationship. She wondered if Shun would be so… _beastly_ to do the same with her just because she volunteered to be Fabia's replacement.

"Then again, it's you who needs me right?" He asked as he pulled away. "You need me to escape that marriage of yours with Klaus Von Hertzen…"

"Wait! How did you-,"

"The Kazami family isn't really a low-profile one, _Miss Gehabich_," Alice flinched at the name he used to address her. He made it sound so… grating and sarcastic.

"So what is your decision?" Shun asked.

"If you promise not to touch me, then we have a deal," Alice compromised. No matter how desperate she was, she will never do anything as low as _that_.

"If you'll be my girlfriend, replacement or not, I'll have to touch you," Shun said obviously not picking up on what Alice just hinted.

"No, I mean…" she swallowed hard. Why did he have to be so clueless with that poker face on? "You can't _touch_ me in _that_ way."

A mischievous glint entered Shun's eyes. Something at the back of his mind told him that he'll be having fun with this particular red head. "That's the one condition I'll accept, _Miss Gehabich_."

"And please stop calling me that," Alice added. "It's embarrassing."

A smirk and then, "Alright then… _Alice_."

Alice wanted to take back what he said there and then. How he said her name was so sensual. Her blush was unavoidable.

"Well then," Shun started as their orders arrived. "Shall we seal the deal with a kiss?"

Her blush darkened. "A-a… k-kiss?" Alice stuttered.

Shun shrugged. "I told you, Fabia kisses like a beast."

"N-now?" Alice stuttered dumbly.

"When else?" Shun asked wearily.

Alice shifted in her seat. The slice of chocolate orange cake in front of her seems to be unappetizing. And she'd been craving for it just a while ago.

"Whenever you want to… Shun-kun…" she said as she met his eyes.

Shun's eyes widened and then his initial surprise gave way to amusement. "I like the ring of that. Say my name again."

"Shun-kun…"

"Again."

"Shun-kun…"

"Again."

Alice felt like a toy, but then again, that was the whole point of their 'relationship'. She took a deep breath and said, "Shun-kun…"

He looked satisfied; happy even. "Fabia never called me that," he said. "But I like how you say it." He grabbed her fork and took a slice of her chocolate orange cake and pointed it towards her. "Open wide…"

She obeyed. As soon as the cake was in her mouth, Shun captured her lips. She couldn't do anything but just close her eyes as he explored her mouth with his tongue. It's the second time he's kissed her like this and the fact that he isn't drunk tips her off the edge.

She came to her senses when air came in between them. She opened her eyes and chewed on the cake to keep her mind off the fact that Shun just kissed her a second time and in a public area at that.

"You're an interesting girl, Alice," he said. "You say that you don't want me to touch you but you submit so willingly to a kiss."

"I just want to get out of my marriage predicament. But I'm not that desperate," she said. To her ears, what she said was such a paradox. Wasn't everything she did an action of someone desperate?

"Whatever you say," Shun said; sounding very unconvinced. "Though I'd hate it if other guys got your first kiss…"

"Wha-? That was _not_ my first kiss," Alice lied.

"You're a bad liar, Alice," he said with a cluck of his tongue. "The way you resisted said otherwise."

"Who would want to kiss a drunken stranger?"

"Please, I've drank stronger spirits than that," Shun waved her off. "There's no need to be embarrassed. I can help you prepare for your real boyfriend."

"I don't think that's necessary," Alice said succinctly. She concentrated on eating her cake.

"But you liked it didn't you?" Shun asked in a low voice."

She raised her eyes and saw him leaning towards her. "Liked what?"

"The kiss?" He finished and again, Alice blushed.

"Why do I have to answer to that?"

"Because I want you to," he simply replied.

"That's hardly any reason for me to comply," Alice said.

"Touché, but I _am_ your boyfriend now," he said. "Even if we're just pretending, it's still a title I brandish proudly."

Suddenly, Klaus seemed to be a better option than this arrogant and spiteful brat.

Then again, it was her choice to be this spiteful brat's girlfriend.

* * *

><p>After their 'date', Shun accompanied Alice home. The latter protested but the former reasoned his position in her life, so she relented.<p>

"Do your friends know about this?" Shun asked.

"About me finding a fake boyfriend or about me choosing you as a fake boyfriend?" Alice asked.

"Both."

"I told Runo and Jet this morning," Alice replied, "The others know that I've been looking for a fake boyfriend, but they don't know about you."

"Good," Shun said. "If I come to your café then, I won't be suspected of."

"Just please don't kiss me while they're around," Alice pleaded.

"Why would I do that?" He asked.

At that, Alice's remark was well-thought of. "Unless you want Runo, Mira and Chan after your life, don't kiss me in their presence."

"What about the silver-haired one?"

"Well…" Alice thought hard. "She could spread it out to social networks."

Shun nodded. "Alright then. I'll see you." He said. They were already in front of Alice and Runo's apartment door.

Alice's eyes widened when Shun pressed his palms against the door's surface, effectively trapping her in place. With nowhere left to turn to, Alice found herself staring deep into Shun's eyes. She's never seen a shade of amber so intense and so alluring before. Did he know how to hypnotize people? Because she's sure she's being controlled to do his bidding.

His face started its descent close to hers and everything is moving in slow motion. Petty thoughts started to cloud her mind. What if Runo and Jet saw them? What if her brother suddenly decided to pay a visit and saw her making out with a guy just in front of her apartment? Was she blushing? Was she supposed to close her eyes? Was Shun making fun of her? Was-?

Her questions ceased when Shun's lips found purchase on hers. He moved fluidly and surely. When he parted her lips for entrance, she gave in automatically out of surprise. She found it to be ironic. Shun's kissed her three times already and she's still not used to it.

But then third time's the charm right?

She can only hope that Shun doesn't use his kisses as a leash against her.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah... I made Shun into a pervert... Sorry! -_-<strong>

**Anyway please do click the REVIEW button and feel free to convey your deepest darkest thoughts regarding the fic as it is greatly appreciated... =D**

**The second chapter is about to come out so wait for it... =D**

**Thanks for reading! =D**

**chquine_harvinellisse**


	9. There she goes

Chapter 9

There she goes

.

_Haos_Nemus: So how has it been going?_

_SubterraWilda: Just fine… Things have gotten tighter, but it's fun nonetheless._

_Haos_Nemus: And your boyfriend?_

_SubterraWilda: EX-boyfriend… There's a difference -_-_

_Haos_Nemus: Ha-ha! Sorry! Yeah him…_

_SubterraWilda: Let's just say that his face is thicker than a dictionary… -_-_

_Haos_Nemus: Ha-ha! What a comparison… =D_

_SubterraWilda: It's not even remotely funny… I hate him…_

_Haos_Nemus: Then why not take revenge?_

_SubterraWilda: What? 0_0_

_Haos_Nemus: I mean… lead him on or something… =D_

_SubterraWilda: You're such a scary person… -_-_

_Haos_Nemus: No I'm not! I just happen to read you well!_

_SubterraWilda: Yeah, yeah, yeah… -_- Keep that to yourself…_

_SubterraWilda: Oh… Gotta go! I have work tomorrow… =D Bye-bye! =D_

_Haos_Nemus: Think about it though, okay? ;)_

The conversation replayed itself in Mira's mind. Her chat mate didn't seem to be the bad-influence type. But he clearly suggested revenge in her dilemma against Ace. It sounded like a really good idea; after all, Mira was in shambles when he left. If she led him on and then just leave him mercilessly like trash, then wouldn't that inflict more pain on him than she had?

It was so tempting and Mira wanted to bite into it, but she's hesitating. The red light flashes and she pulls on the break. What if he's just replaying that incident all over again? What if her brother never really asked him to do those things? More importantly, what if she falls for him again?

She shook her head and started pedaling when the light turned green. She'd been really confused since her chat mate suggested the method of revenge on her ex-boyfriend-who's-back.

"Maybe it'd be easier if I just sent him to the Amazon River…" she muttered. "That'd be more merciful of me and it will guarantee his loss…"

She sighed and continued on to the café. While Mira isn't a bad person, she still can't deny that she's still quite bitter about how Ace left her (and so publicly too).

Once she parked her bike, she headed to the kitchen immediately. After greeting Runo and the rest of the gang that were already present, she changed into her uniform.

"What's with you today?" Runo asked as she peeked into the kitchen. "You're quieter than usual."

"Just…" Mira started, "Some issues of mine…"

"Do you want to talk about it?" Runo asked hopefully.

Mira shrugged but smiled to show her gratitude and appreciation. "It's okay. I can handle it."

"Are you sure?"

Mira nodded. "I can take care of one Ace Grit. Thanks for the concern though."

Runo smiled. "Well you can say his name out loud now."

"I figured I should face it," Mira said. "I can't do anything about it anyway."

"What?" Runo put her hands on her hips. "Who are you and what have you done to Mira Clay?"

Mira looked a bit amused by Runo's outburst. "What are you talking about, Runo?"

"Well, excuse me, but Mira Clay doesn't give up easily." Runo says in a matter-of-factly tone. "She will do whatever it takes to make things easier for her."

Pondering on Runo's words for a moment, Mira stood up. Runo was right. She's not acting like herself. And the potatoes won't be in good condition at her current state. Her eyes focused on the floor and she exhaled deeply.

_This is that Nemus' fault…_

"Mira?"

"Can we delay the opening for today Runo?" Mira asked. "I think I need to clear my head for a while."

Nodding, Runo started for the counter. "Why don't you pedal around for a bit?"

Mira smiled. "I think I'll do just that."

After getting her bicycle and mounting it, Mira cycled around the park close to the café. Runo was right. There's something definitely wrong with her. But before she could think of what could possibly make her act that way, her thoughts are clouded by her brother.

Keith Clay is the most serious man she's ever met and he just so happens to be her brother. She hasn't gotten the chance to talk to him about the entire Ace incident two years ago. Now that she thinks about it, within those two years, she was so occupied by hating Ace that she never bothered to call him.

The last time they talked was recently and he was just being a bridge to help Ace reach her.

As much as Mira loves her brother, she couldn't help but question his motives for sending Ace to her and making her fall in love with him. Surely he doesn't hate Mira does he?

Her head was spinning with all the possibilities so she shook it. Her phone suddenly rang and Keith's numbers were on her screen. Clearing her throat, Mira asked, "Hello?"

"Mira?"

"Keith." She responded. "What made you call?"

"Well, I was wondering how Japan looked like," he said in _that _voice. Mira knew that he was planning something at the use of _that_ voice. "So I've decided to pay you a visit there."

"My house is messy Keith," Mira reasoned. "You can't go there. You have OCD remember?"

"Whoever said I'd be going to your house?" Keith asked. "I know you don't clean your house, Mira and I would never dare to set foot there."

Leaning against a tree, Mira scoffed. "Yeah right. If I know you just want to see Chan…"

"How is that little Dragon lady?" His tone suddenly turned nostalgic.

"She's not going to be entertaining suitors anytime soon. I can assure you that," she replied with a hint of a chuckle in her tone.

"I didn't say I was going to court her, Mira. Chan just happens to be a good friend. Plus she enjoys the same hobby."

"And that would be?"

"Keeping an eye on you."

"Keith, I'm not a kid anymore," she protested. Keith always underestimated Mira. He always saw her as the little child that needed him for protection. "I can take care of myself."

"Are you sure?"

She never liked it when Keith asked her those three words. "Yes, Keith. I'm very sure I can take care of myself."

"Have you met with Ace?" Keith asked.

"About Ace, thank you for reminding me," her voice turned venomous. "We need to talk about him."

He went silent for a while and then he sighed. "I'll be at the café at closing."

Mira's eyes widened. "Wait you're already here?"

The line went dead afterwards. Mira stared at her phone dumbly. She didn't feel any better but at least her Butcher side is tame and the potatoes aren't in danger of overcooking anymore.

She mounted her bike again and headed for the café. Forget about thinking. It just makes you think more.

* * *

><p>"Wait, what?" Runo's eyes widened when Mira said that her brother would be visiting. They're eating lunch again, like they always do and the entire gang is present.<p>

"Keith said he'll come here at closing," Mira shrugged.

"Oh, so we finally meet the infamous older brother," Julie commented. "Are we going to stay open for a while?"

"Probably," Runo answered. "And I was so looking forward to relaxing at home tonight."

Mira smiled apologetically. "Sorry Runo. I'll make it up to all of you."

"Speaking of brother," Chan started, "Does your brother know about the pseudo-boyfriend, Alice?"

The girl in question suddenly became the subject of stares. "Well… I plan on telling him soon."

"But you never told us that he's a Kazami," Julie stated.

Alice replied, embarrassed, "I only knew when he told me."

"He's one of those rich families," Runo nonchalantly said. "He's friends with Marucho and Dan."

"Well someone's being endearing," Julie teased the manager. "Is this romance I smell?"

"No it's not!" Runo defended. "I am not being endearing to him."

"Is that denial then?" Julie remedied.

Chan sighed and said, "You should always know better than to try and beat Julie in her own game."

Jet turned to the clock and said, "It's almost re-opening."

Runo stood up and said gratefully, "Well someone's becoming eager to work."

"It's productive enough," Jet said.

"Or are you just distracting yourself from Masquerade?" Julie narrowed her eyes at the brunette.

"Both," she shamelessly replied.

* * *

><p>At the end of the day, a sleek black Dodge Viper parked in front of the café. It intrigued most of the customers but Runo did a good job of threatening them if they do anything to the car or to the persons inside.<p>

Mira, on the other hand, knew that it's her brother, Keith Clay. She took off her apron and changed into her normal clothes. He'd make fun of her if she talked to him in her uniform.

A blonde came out of the car. He was wearing a simple white shirt and a pair of pants. He had a very commanding aura around him. And his bright eyes told the café employees that he's related to a certain cook.

"Mira?" Jet called from the cashier. "I think your brother's here."

Taking a deep breath, Mira stepped out of the kitchen and met her brother's eyes from the outside. She sat on one of the chairs and took another deep breath. She and Keith had never been that close. Sure they were siblings, but Keith had always been the personal favorite of their father and so they didn't really talk much.

"Calm down, Mira. It's not like I'm going to review your files for resignation," Keith said as he sat on the chair across her. "I know we haven't been talking, but I hope we can come to terms on certain matters."

"You should know that I don't like the subject matter of today's conversation," she reminded him. The other employees of the café decided to stay in the kitchen to let the siblings have a bit of privacy.

Keith nodded and asked, "What is it about Ace that you don't like, Mira?"

She didn't know where to start and how to start. She had a million answers but none of them would satisfy her objective brother.

"He's a good assistant," Keith started. "And a very dedicated employee too. He worked his way to his position right now with a lot of hard work and perseverance."

"I have no idea what his work ethics are," Mira replied. "The reason why I don't like him is because of what he did two years ago."

He cleared his throat. "He came to London just as I asked him to; what's wrong with that?"

"Didn't he tell you that I was…" she dared not say it but she had no choice. "Didn't he tell you that I was his girlfriend before the entire climbing up?"

"I don't see how that matters," Keith said, dead pan.

Nearly hissing, Mira elaborated. "He just used me to get to you, Keith. He dated me and courted me and became my boyfriend all for the sake of getting to the sweet spot that he's in now."

"Mira," he started patiently and she didn't like that tone. She knew what was coming.

"Keith," she countered firmly. "He turned me into a fool. I don't expect you to understand, but I'm hoping that you could at least try to."

"I understand that you're mad because he used you as a stepping stone," Keith explained, "But don't you think that you're carrying that grudge for too long?"

She scoffed. "If you're using that argument on me then you don't understand at all. He broke my heart, Keith. And I would really appreciate it if you stop trying to bring us together because I don't like being forced to him and have to repeat that same process of getting hurt all over again."

Sighing, Keith stood up. He left without another word. He'd never been good with words; Mira knew that, but she at least hoped that he'd show her some bias. She felt more hurt that her brother was so cool about her heartbreak.

It wasn't as easy as it sounded.

She heard a clank and before her a cup of latte stood. Chan smiled at the forlorn redhead and said, "It'll take your mind off a few things for a while."

Mira took the cup gratefully and muttered a silent word of thanks. "This is so messed up," she added.

"I guess things didn't go as planned," Chan said.

She took a sip and shook her head. "I don't know what I should worry about: the fact that Ace Grit is back in my life or the fact that my brother doesn't see it as a bad thing?"

Chan bit her lip. "I know it's not much of a suggestion, but whichever is the lesser evil to you would be the best course of action."

"But both evils sound the same to me," Mira reasoned. "I don't think anything will come good of whatever I pick to worry about first."

"Mira, I know you," the Chinese girl said firmly. "I know you don't give up no matter what the circumstances have brought upon you."

Mira smiled at Chan and said, "Thanks Chan. Thanks for trying to cheer me up," she finished the cup in one gulp. "And thanks for the latte. But I think I'll work this through on my own."

She headed to the back and grabbed her bike. She quickly pedaled back home and flopped down onto the bed. From the corner of her eye she could see the broken picture frame beside her computer monitor. Her conversation with her chat mate replayed itself in her mind.

Revenge didn't sound like such a bad thing. It sounded like one of the lesser evils, except for the fact that it's not in her worry-list. She stood up and took the frame in her hands.

It would be easy. She would just entertain him and make him believe that he has hope of regaining her favor and when he's finally too deeply in love with her again, she'd break his heart, in public and in such a degrading manner.

The plot had already formed itself in her mind and before she could stop herself, she had already picked up the receiver of the cordless phone.

After the beep she quickly puts on a faux crying voice. "Ace, I'm so sorry I shut you out like that." Her brain went to immediate overdrive.

"I… I guess I was just in denial," she continued. "I was just in denial that… that I still do love you."

"Mira?"

"Ace, I'm sorry. I… I want you back too." She surprised herself when sobs started to come out of her mouth. "It's okay if you don't want me in your life anymore. It's okay if you don't want to love me anymore. But I just want you to know that I really do love you."

"Mira you don't have to apologize." A sigh and then, "Look this isn't really the time for us to talk. So let's just talk there tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," she replied meekly. "I love you Ace."

The words have been long used, but the way it slips past her tongue like honey tells her that it was completely effortless.

"I love you too Mira."

Her lips turned to a smirk as soon as she hears the beep.

And there she goes with her plan of revenge.

* * *

><p><strong>It's been so long and I apologize to all of the readers.<strong>

**The next chapter will be Jet and Masky as promised... XD **

**I won't talk long so please don't hesitate to click the REVIEW button and feel free to convey your deepest darkest thoughts as it is greatly appreciated by the writer.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**chquine_harvinellisse**


	10. Of the Pegasus

Chapter 10

Of the pegasus

.

Jet sighed as she sat down and stared at the steaming mug of coffee in front of her. It had been three weeks since she left Masquerade's house and she would have thought that he would continue visiting the cafe for her sake. Apparently he'd given up trying to apologize to her.

And it made her sad.

_You know how he is. He must be sorting things out._

Though she had to admit, that optimism hasn't made her feel any better. She simply wasn't the type who would be optimistic about a very pessimistic situation.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

That voice made her raise her head. She saw Chan holding a mug of coffee similar to hers. She gave a weak smile before replying, "It's nothing."

The other female simply shrugged before taking the seat in front of the melancholic girl. "So how has living with Alice and Runo been?"

With a smile, Jet replied, "It's been fun. Late night conversations and midnight snacks are things that I missed."

Chan gave her a chuckle. "We had slumber parties before and yeah, it was fun."

Trying to proceed with caution, Jet asked, "Have you found your necklace yet?"

She shook her head sadly. "I've been looking everywhere but I still haven't found it."

Jet nodded in understanding and shared in comfortable silence. She quickly shifted the topic into something less depressing, such as her studies, her other activities and her hobbies. They spent the rest of the lunch break that way until Chan asked, "Did Masquerade do anything to you?"

At that her eyes widened. The implications seem to have escaped the unsuspecting Chinese girl. "No." She replied quickly. "He's not that type of guy!"

Slightly amused, Chan quickly remedied, "I mean if he did anything offensive to you because I am sure you won't be so hell bent on moving out of his house if he didn't do anything wrong."

Jet stared at her feet. She knew that Masquerade meant it as a joke and nothing more, but it wasn't a nice joke. He had tried to win her forgiveness once, but that never had a second time or a third. She would have forgiven him if he tried harder because that is what best friends do despite the circumstances.

"It's something I really don't want to talk about," she finally said. "I hope you understand."

Chan nodded and turned to Runo. "Are we opening soon?"

The manager snapped out of her daze with a small blush on her cheeks before nodding vigorously.

With a knowing smirk, Chan muttered, "Well, aren't things becoming more and more interesting?"

* * *

><p>Jet stared suspiciously at the ceramic jar that Masquerade was handing to her. She lost at cycling which wasn't a fair competition at all seeing that he was the one who taught her in the first place. He shook the bottle and said, "As promised, you drink the sake."<p>

She took the bottle from his hand and sniffed at it suspiciously. Sensing no imminent danger coming from it, she tentatively took a sip and cringed. The drink burned hot in her chest and seemed to sharply slice through her throat. It left a somewhat bittersweet taste in her mouth and she exhaled loudly.

"What in Pegasus' name was that?" She exclaimed.

"Sake," he replied with a mocking tone in his voice. Masquerade shoved the entire bottle to her hands and said, "Finish that so we can go to sleep."

Jet sighed and took a slow sip and repeated the process over and over again. She endured all the bitter taste and the burning sensation left in her throat and her chest. He made small talk, but nothing that she could comprehend as her consciousness started to stray from her mind and brought her to her dreams.

And Masquerade knew. That's why he made that bet in the first place. He knew that Jet would have things to say that would be good blackmail material. It's quite silly that for all his cunning and conniving and scheming and plotting, Jet still considers him as a friend and refuses to see him as otherwise.

That's also why he can't let her leave him; thus the blackmail materials.

It all sounds rather psychopathic, but he knew of no other way to keep her.

"Masky~!" She slurred. "Masky I want my Pegasus..."

"You left it remember?" He reminded her. "I _did_ tell you to put everything you need inside your bag."

She hit him clumsily with her hand. "Five minutes isn't enough!"

"Not my problem," he told her.

She sulked, or at least tried to sulk as best as she could, given that she was drunk. "I want to sleep with my Pegasus... Why didn't you bring Pegasus with me?"

With an amused glint in his eyes, he produced a camera from the back pocket of his pants. He turned it on and did the necessary rituals to be able to record whatever Jet will be saying and doing.

Starting his record, Masquerade asked, "Why do you like that stuffed toy so much?"

"Chaq gave it to me," Jet whined.

"Your step sister?" He clarified.

"Yes..." Jet nodded. "She's a nice girl... I really want to see her again..."

"Well you won't for a long time," Masquerade reminded her.

At that she frowned. "I wonder how she is. Last time I heard, she was trying to get a job at this publishing firm..."

"Does that matter?" He impatiently asked.

Suddenly, she boldly took his face in her hands, going past the glass mask and making the male flush. Thankfully he didn't forget that he was holding the camera. "What are you doing?"

"Tell me," she slurred and hiccuped. Her breath reeked of alcohol and she looked like she was about to throw up. "Why did you bring me here to Japan? You even told a lie! You told me a lie to get here with you! You told me that there was a..." she hiccuped, "A marathon here! But there is no marathon here! Why? Why did you kidnap me here?"

The sudden switch of roles made him smile. "Why do you want to know, Jetty?"

She pushed him away and retreated back to the other side of the couch. "You're always like this! ALWAYS!" She shouted like a little girl denied sweets even though it was promised to her. "You do things and don't explain yourself! You're so confusing and I don't even know what to make of you! Do you..." she hiccuped "Do you even know how clueless I am to your antics?"

"Are you now?" Masquerade asked, amused. He'd never been that thankful for the camera he's holding.

"Why can't you be more specific..." she sobbed and dried faux tears. "It would be nice if you stopped being such an enigma..."

He chuckled then. "Since when did you become such a large fan of deep words?"

Jet hiccuped. "Chaq's fault..."

Masquerade zoomed into her face and asked, "Why am I an enigma to you Jet?"

"You're not pointed..." she slurred whilst pointing to his hair. It made him laugh hysterically, causing Jet to groan in frustration. "Why can't you be more straight?"

His voice then darkened, "Are you suggesting I'm confused?"

Jet waved her hand wildly. "You... NO! I'm saying that you need to be more..." a hiccup intervened and then, "... like this..."

She pushed the camera aside and grabbed his face in her hands like she did a while ago. Masquerade would have relented but in the next second her warm lips were on his and he can taste the alcohol steaming down from the roof of her mouth. He can only hope that the camera recorded this as well. It would be a very likely blackmail material; one that he will thoroughly enjoy using.

With a loud exhale, Jet leaned away from him and sighed. Fumbling and breathless, Masquerade picked up the fallen camera that has been facing them since the drop. It made him smirk. Focusing on the drunk female once more, Masquerade relished the sensation left by her lips on his.

"Boys..." she started. "Boys do that to girls that they like!"

He always knew that Jet was a sharp girl, but he never thought that she was this astute. She might have known all along, but when? He would have to reflect on that for a bit. "How long have you known?"

"I don't know..." she replied whimsically. "But you should stop spinning..."

He shrugged. "There are some cliche instances, you know?"

Yawning, Jet said softly, "But I like you too..."

He turned to her abruptly and was about to ask. But then his friend is fast asleep with soft snores accentuating her slumber. He would have to muse on a lot of things tonight.

Smirking, Masquerade said, "Good night Jet..."

* * *

><p>"Is there something wrong, Jet?"<p>

Said girl started and stared at Runo who looked at her with worry. She nodded and stared at the gloomy clouds outside. "Is it going to rain?" She asked rather dumbly for her own tastes.

"Yes," the manager nodded. "We need to finish here quickly and get home before the showers become rough."

Rushing to the kitchen, Jet hangs her apron on the hook with her name mounted on top of it. She changed her clothes and helped the others clean up the mess. She wiped the tables clean while sparing glances at the quickly darkening skies. Heavy showers accompanied by thunderstorms were never her favorite combination. Events that occurred when she was a child were quite hard to forget.

They quickly left the cafe as the rain started to pour down from the dark clouds. Runo, Alice and Jet managed to get to their apartment with their clothes only slightly soaked. Runo was quick to enter the shower first, rendering both girls clueless. Alice shook it off as one of her managerial errands and Jet was left to muse on her family.

Suddenly feeling home sick, she wrapped herself in a towel and dragged a rag under her foot as she went. She went to her room and dug into her bag. Rainy days tended to dampen her mood and her beloved Pegasus always helped her cheer up.

One more step from her room door and she stopped. Jet suddenly remembered that she left it in her dorm room. Sighing, the melancholic girl trudges begrudgingly into her room and flops down onto the bed, groaning. Her muscles ached a bit but still far from complaining. She found herself wondering what her enigmatic best friend was doing.

Thunder cracked through the sky and sent a violent shiver down Jet's spine. She shuddered and brought her knees close to her chest. Closing her eyes tightly, she started counting. It was one of the things she came up with her sister to keep herself from succumbing to the fear. It had worked a lot of times, but she didn't know how she would fare alone.

A knock on her door made her pause from counting. "Jet?" It was Alice. "Runo just left. Aren't you going to take a shower?"

Finding her voice, Jet replied, "You go on first." And it was followed by the sound of retreating footsteps. She sat up and leaned against the wall. Thunder cracked again and she closed her eyes tightly. With a shuddering voice, she started counting again. She felt increasingly lonely. On stormy days she would cuddle with her Pegasus or hang out with Chaq.

Once she reached 300, another knock stopped her from counting. "Jet?" It was Alice again. "I'm going out for a while."

The prospect of being alone made her blurt out, "In this storm?"

"Shun-kun is sick," she said, as if it would explain anything. Given the nature of their relationship, Jet found the entire scenario utterly suspicious. Nonetheless, she told Alice to be careful and to give call anyone, preferably Chan, if this 'Shun-kun' of hers tries anything.

With a chuckle, Alice left and Jet felt more and more aware of the cracking thunders shaking the hollow of her bones. She's suddenly aware that the previous thunder was too close to her window. And the next one seems to be ridiculing her by coming closer and closer to the window. Shutting her eyes, she continues from 300, rocking back and forth.

Their neighborhood had been ravaged by a thunderstorm when Jet was nine. Thankfully no one in their family got hurt, but she saw, first-hand one of her playmates die because he was struck by lightning. As a kid, she'd always thought that thunder wouldn't kill anyone, just like in the cartoons she watched during mornings, but seeing her playmate get burnt...

Jet shook her head and resumed counting. Remembering that she was alone, she deemed it safe to whimper when the thunder became particularly loud. She covered her ears and counted out loud. With every passing second, the thunder seemed to grow louder and nearer and Jet was forced to shout out the words, the sound of numbers being pronounced are loud past the wooden door of her room.

A loud rapping snapped her out of her terror and Jet jumped off the bed to open it. She would welcome anyone who was knocking at her door. Anything that would keep her from being scared so much will be very much welcome.

A pink stuffed horse with a horn protruding from its head greeted her with a rustle. From her peripheral vision, she could tell that the horse had wings; it was a Pegasus. Upon closer inspection she saw the embroidery at the underside of the left wing; it spelled, "Jetty". It was her Pegasus.

"Are you okay, Jet?"

That voice made her heart swell for some reason. She knew from whom it came from. It was the voice that she'd been wanting to hear for a very long time.

She pushed the stuffed Pegasus aside and ran into the arms of her best friend. "Where have you been?" She demanded, thoughts of the thunderstorm outside were far from her ears. His smug chuckle vibrated through his ribs and he replied, "I was getting your Pegasus back."

That tugged at her heartstrings. She was too speechless, but Masquerade picked the Pegasus up. "You and your sister counted during thunderstorms right?" He asked with contempt in his voice.

But she knew better.

They sat down on the bed with her snuggling into the blankets, holding her Pegasus close. Masquerade on the other hand was beside her.

"One," he started.

Realizing what he was hinting at, Jet replied, "Two."

"Three..." he put an arm behind her shoulders.

"Four..." she yawned.

"Five," he smirked and placed her head on his shoulder.

"Night Masky," she muttered sleepily.

* * *

><p><strong>I was overjoyed when I saw that a lot of people took the time to leave a REVIEW for my previous chapter. However nearly half of them were about requests continuing the AlicexShun part of the story.<br>**

**I understand that their fandom is quite popular and that there are a lot of fans of it, I myself am included, but I felt as though the other chapters are only being read for the sake of requesting a continuation for that specific pairing.**

**While I do appreciate the REVIEWS the ShunxAlice chapters come after the JoexChan and DanxRuno chapters. There's a pattern put anyway.**

**And for those who read the previous chapter sincerely, I thank you guys! You guys are awesome! =D**

**As for this chapter, Masquerade is out of character, I know and I'm sorry... .**

**I had no idea how to end the chapter; as a matter of fact I don't know how to begin most of these stuff... XD**

**JET~! I hope you liked this chapter~! =D**

**Anyway, please feel free to click the REVIEW button and feel free to convey your deepest darkest thoughts about the contents of this chapter as it is greatly appreciated by the author.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**chquine_harvinellisse**


	11. New Partners

Chapter 11

New partners

.

Chan listened attentively to the lecture her trigonometry teacher was preaching at the front. Flipping absently at her book, she couldn't help but wonder where her necklace was. She stared out the window to her far right and sighed. Not even her part time job could take away the depression of losing a prized possession.

The bell rang and students started to file out of the room one by one. Chan opted to stay for a while to check under the desks again. She's been doing so for the past five days. It didn't make her search any more productive and it only made her feel worse. She'd asked at the student affairs office since she lost the necklace and nothing of the sort has been reported.

Footsteps were heard and Chan raised her head. "Well, well..." Mylene clucked her tongue. "Are you cleaning up your evidence?"

Chan merely rolled her eyes and decided to leave. Her shift is about to start anyway. Mylene on the other hand, wasn't as forgiving as Chinese girl thought she would be. "I know you have secrets."

It's the same drama all the time. Apparently the aqua-haired female was hell-bent on disproving her status as an honorable student of blameless character. Unfortunately, Chan has told the upper ups of the school about her sideline. While none of the faculty members approved of her working, they couldn't exactly do anything about her situation. She walked past Mylene who calls after her many times. The threats didn't scare her; all that the other female has done so far was embarrass herself.

Walking towards her locker, Chan hid her disappointment by looking straight forward. She collected her things and headed to the exit of the school.

"Hey!"

Thinking that it was Mylene again, Chan merely ignored the voice that's obviously pointed towards her. She continued walking towards the gate and nodded meaningfully at the guard stationed there. A hand came into contact with her shoulder and from the corner of her eyes, she saw the guard tensed up. She turned and saw a brunette standing before her. He's panting and sweaty and immediately, she could tell that he's one of those bullied kids. He wore his uniform right: with all the buttons in the right places, thoroughly ironed uniform and his expensive wrist watch.

Not even a year of her salary can afford that kind of watch.

She waited for him to explain himself. "You're Chan Lee right?" He asked her.

His question surprised her. Chan didn't think that someone wouldn't know who Chan Lee would be, especially since she's a part of nearly every single club of the school. Nonetheless, she replied "Yes. You are?"

"I'm Joe Brown," he answered.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Frankly the flow of the conversation was boring her. This was one of the reasons why she doesn't bother with the people in her school. They were either extremely vain or extremely introverted for her tastes.

"You work at Crest, don't you?"

_Now this is alarming. He doesn't know I'm Chan Lee, but he knows that someone by the same name works at somewhere called Crest..._

"What do you know about Crest?" She asks instead. She would ask him who he is, but she'd feel immensely stupid.

Joe smiled cryptically and said, "I assume you'll find out soon." He spun on his heel and left, leaving Chan rather confused and dumbfounded.

* * *

><p>Runo stared at her as if she made her head rotate 360 degrees.<p>

"How did you know about that?" The blue-haired manager asked incredulously as Chan leaned over the counter.

The Chinese girl started and replied, "Well... Someone from school asked me about it."

The manager nodded and said, "Marucho mentioned that someone will be coming in today. Apparently he's a new partner. But I haven't been told about the details. Marucho seemed to be in a rush too."

Chan nodded. "You said he's from school?" Runo clarified.

"Yes."

"Marucho sure has some creepy friends," she muttered.

"Like that brunette you've been fawning over?" Julie chimed in.

At this the manager shouted, "I am not fawning over that half-wit!"

Julie could only chuckle as she finished cleaning the tables. Chan decided to leave Runo to her thoughts and her cash register as she started on the dishes. Mira nodded at her before they started to work.

"So someone's coming over?" The red head inquired.

"Yeah," Chan replied. "A student from school, but apparently, he's also Marucho's partner."

"I wonder how he gathers his circle of friends," Mira mused out loud. "I mean they're all capable men. Alice and Runo certainly have their hands full with two of them."

"I heard that Mira!" Runo said menacingly.

"It's true though!" The red head shot back. She turned to Chan with a smile and said, "Now I see you're going to be occupied with a third one soon enough."

At this, the Chinese girl smirked. "That's some baseless assumption, even from you, Mira."

She shrugged and said, "Intuition, I guess?"

Chan chuckled. "Alright let's just get to work."

The rest of the afternoon was uneventful for any of them and soon they were about to close. Runo and Julie were the most disappointed of them all.

"You look a bit down, Runo," Alice remarked. She'd been rather spaced out lately. They attribute it to her 'boyfriend', with whom she's either overly concerned or overly annoyed.

"I was expecting Chan's admirer to come here," the manager confessed.

Chan paused from scrubbing the plates and remarked, "He's not my admirer."

Julie, ever the optimist, piped, "You know, all the important men come at rebellious hours. For all we know, he could be going through the same pattern as Dan and Shun did."

"Speaking of Shun," Mira popped from the kitchen and eyed Alice. "You've been quiet about him since he called in sick, Alice."

The addressed female blushes. "Well..."

"Did he kiss you already?" Julie asked simply. The blush on Alice's face was not caused by mere hand-touching; of that she was absolutely sure of. "Cause I'm sure that blush is for something like that."

Runo turned to her roommate incredulously. She couldn't see the red head allowing some playboy to kiss her or touch her in any way. The thought made her narrow her eyes a bit.

"I... I really don't want to talk about it..." Alice said succinctly. She turned back to her table and wiped it clean before she retreated to the back room to change. When she emerged out of it, she announced, "I'll be leaving early. Shun asked me to make dinner."

"Isn't this a bit too much?" Runo asked. "He's treating you like some sort of housekeeper."

Alice shrugged as she approached the door. "It's a win-win situation. I get someone to keep Klaus off my waiting list and he gets someone to help him forget about his ex-girlfriend." Not wanting to prolong the conversation, she left quickly.

Julie placed a contemplative hand on her chin. "Alice is pretty jumpy nowadays."

Runo sighed and shook her head. "Let's just finish up and close. I'm not in the mood to think about what she's up to."

Chan was worried for the Russian female. While Alice can be quite sharp, she's also rather impulsive. She finished up with the sink and changed into something more comfortable. She was ready to leave when Julie came into the kitchen, panicked and panting. "We've got company," she whispered to them worriedly.

Both of the kitchen attendants peeked out of the kitchen opening to see Runo speaking quietly with a middle-aged woman. She dressed rather plainly and they didn't understand the panic that their work mate exhibited. "What's going on?" Mira inquired.

"She came right as we're about to close!" Julie whispered frantically. "That has to account for something!"

Chan opened her mouth to say something but Runo turned towards them and the three quickly slid back into the safety of the kitchen. Julie made a dash for the comfort room to change and the manager came in.

"Chan," she turned to the Chinese girl wearily. "You have a visitor."

The Chinese girl immediately went out of the kitchen and approached the older female. The brunette smiled at Chan and asked, "You're Chan Lee, correct?"

"Yes. You are?" The younger female inquired.

"I'm Mrs. Helena Brown," she replied with a smile. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"You know me?" Chan asked, surprised. She tried to recall if she'd encountered the cheery woman before, but all that she drew was a blank. "I'm sorry; have we met before?"

Helena shook her head and replied, "No, but you can say that I am well aware of your academic accomplishments."

The Chinese's eyes widened. "You're the one granting me my scholarship?"

"It was due to my son's connections to the Marakura family that I came across your profile," Helena smiled. "I must admit; you are quite the astonishing young lady."

She blushed at that. "Thank you, Mrs. Brown."

"My son was supposed to come here, but," she stopped and chuckled nervously. "He asked me to give you something instead."

Chan tilted her head and her eyes widened when she saw her necklace being pulled out of her older woman's bag.

"I believe that this is yours?"

"How...?" She was dumbfounded. "How did you get this?"

"Joe had it," she answered. "He didn't give me any details. Anyway, I need to run some errands and I just stopped by to give this to you."

Before Chan could say anything else, Helena left.

Mira patted the dumbstruck female's shoulder and said in a knowing tone, "I told you so."

* * *

><p>Joe walked past the halls silently.<p>

Suddenly Chan pulls his hand from the back. The brunette is surprised to see her, but when he sees the necklace on her, he brushes the back of his head awkwardly. "You've met my mom?"

She nodded, a gentle blush on her cheeks. Her father raised her to be a grateful person. And even though those who have done her good don't ask for her payment, she's been taught to insist it.

"Thank you for returning my necklace," she started simply, but her hand still around Joe's wrist. "It's very important to me."

Joe stared at her hand on his wrist for a while before replying, "Ah, you're welcome." She's showing no sign of letting go and so he asked, "Is there something you need?"

"One meal," she muttered, averting her gaze from him. She was rewarded with an inquiring syllable from him. Her grip on his wrist tightened. Finally, she snapped, "On Saturday, meet me at the court at 10 am. I owe you a meal!"

She rushed off afterwards, leaving a rather confused Joe behind. He twisted his wrist a bit and smiled.

"Well, this is interesting..."

* * *

><p><strong>I have absolutely no idea how I finished this chapter, but I felt bad for not updating and decided to get through it with what little I had... I didn't have a concrete idea on how I wanted to progress with this pairing... If any of you have any ideas please do let me know and I'll see what I can do... I appreciate that a lot...<strong>

**On the bright side, for those who are reading this fic and used to read my AlicexSpectra fics, I am planning to make a one shot about the aftermath of the sequel.**

**I'll start on making it tonight, so hopefully I can upload it before school resumes...**

**So for those who were fans of my AlicexSpectra fics, I hope you look forward to it... =D**

**Anyway, please feel free to click the REVIEW button and feel free to convey your deepest darkest thoughts about the contents of this chapter as it is greatly appreciated by the author.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**chquine_harvinellisse**


	12. Homecoming

Chapter 12

Homecoming

.

It's another slow day and Julie's just reminiscing about how everything had just gone down the drain. Alice was being secretive, Runo was being too stressed again, Mira always had this smile on her face that made the Australian girl wonder if she's actually a serial killer and Chan... for heaven's sake, Chan always came to work from school with this healthy blush on her cheeks.

It was never complicated with her and Billy. Why then were her friends being such weirdos because of it? She sighed and looked out the window. Billy promised to visit when he got back, but so far, she's heard nothing from him. She sighed again and Jet, apparently the only normal one among the girls, inquired to her about it.

"Jet..." Julie started a bit miserably. "Everything's just so down..."

The other female smiled and said, "You feel the tension too, huh?" She sat down beside her and asked, "What happened while I was gone?"

Julie grumbled. "It's a long story. I doubt that I'll ever live another day if I tell you here and now..."

Suddenly, Alice emerged from the kitchen, changed into her lavender skirt and yellow tank top, and headed to the door without another word. Runo followed after her with her gaze and suddenly she turned red. Slamming her hand on the cashier, the manager stood up and flipped the sign. 'We're closing early," she announced indignantly before heading to the back to change as well.

With another sigh, Julie muttered, "What's going on here?"

"Where'd Alice go?"

With a nonchalant wave of her hand, she replied, "Probably to her sick 'Shun-kun'."

She gave the other female an incredulous look. "That guy's still sick? Did he get some sort of flu or something?"

"I hope not," Julie shook her head. "Alice has been going there nearly everyday after work."

Runo came out of the back room. "I'm going on ahead. I forgot that I had this homework that I had to pass." Without another word, she strolled out of the glass door and ran off into the distance. Mira came out of the kitchen as well and said, "In that case, I think I should put my plan in motion." A diabolical smirk crossed her face and it made both Julie and Jet feel threatened.

Before any of them could voice out about the other red head, they hear a telltale shriek from Chan. Immediately, both girls ran into the kitchen to see that the Chinese girl was staring at the pan that was emitting black smokes, accusingly.

Moving quickly, Julie threw the pan to the faucet and ran water over it. She put her hands on her hips and said, "You shouldn't stare blankly at burning objects in the kitchen!"

"Sorry..." Chan replied apologetically. "I guess I spaced out."

"What were you doing though?" Jet inquired. It was known to all of them that Chan and Mira were both capable cooks.

The Chinese girl frowned and said, "Well... I was trying to make some alterations to the recipe that we use here." A hand abashedly made its way to her nape as she continued, "It didn't go that well..."

Mira emerged from the dressing room and said, "Just stick to what you know then."

"Yeah but..." she bit her lip, hesitating. This was when Julie sniffed something extremely big for her to catch.

"Why are you suddenly into cooking Chan?" She asked with a knowing smile. "Are you going to cook for someone?"

The Chinese girl didn't even flinch, "Yes. It's a classmate of mine."

Despite not knowing her for a long time, Jet had a feeling that Chan wasn't the most sociable of characters in school. Julie, on the other hand, wasn't pleased with Chan's honesty about the situation. "Aw," she sulked, "it's not fun if you don't deny it, Chan! I have no reason to grill you about it..."

Said girl frowned, "I see no reason to hide it to you because of that same reason."

Sometimes, Julie really hated how Chan was so smart that she could rebuff all the stuff she said. Nonetheless, she managed to find a loop hole. "So is this classmate of yours a boy?" Her eyes narrowed knowingly.

"Yes," she replies. "The son of the person who's sponsoring my studies..."

Julie, deciding against spoiling the clueless Chinese girl, says, "You can try making some good ol' burgers. Billy liked them a lot when I made some for him."

She was quite reluctant as people's tastes vary, but being the boy expert she claims to be, Julie is a very credible source of information. Nodding, Chan replied, "I'll try that then..."

The Australian smiled before seeing Chan clean up her mess. Jet and her told her that they'd be going ahead and the Chinese girl called after them. As they walked off, Julie asked, "Aren't you going to Runo's apartment?"

She shook her head. "Masky took the liberty of getting all my stuff there and moved me back into his house that he doesn't use..." she sighed wearily, but smiled nonetheless. "I guess that's his way of taking care of me after he practically kidnapped me here..."

Julie found herself smiling. "It's nice to know that at least some of us are in a good mood," she commented. "Things are just a bit too tense... Sometimes I just want to go home and lounge around."

"Well since, Masky isn't at home, do you want to come with me? He's always somewhere nowadays," Jet offered.

"That sounds nice!" Julie clapped her hands. "We could hang out and share secrets..."

The last word had her uncomfortable. "What secrets?" she asked with a hint of fear lacing her voice.

The tanned girl was quick to detect that defensiveness and secretiveness in her tone. Immediately, she hooked her arm around the other female's and leaned closer before she could change her mind. "Don't worry, Jet. I will never tell anyone about your... _intimacy_ with Alice's brother..."

Suddenly, Jet felt as though she regretted nearly all of her actions in the past ten seconds.

* * *

><p>"How does this help?" Jet asked as she glanced at Julie who lay beside her.<p>

"It gets rid of the blackheads," she replied as she pointed to the oatmeal mask covering her nose. "And before you think about wasting Masquerade's oatmeal, don't worry about it... He has like three boxes of them hidden within the locks of his hair..." she waved a dismissive hand, making the other female laugh.

"I've never done this before," she muttered as she leaned back and stared at the ceiling. It was a nice feeling. Initially, she was really worried about Julie's inquiries about her _intimacy_ with her best friend, but thankfully for her, it was just a joke.

The white-haired female stared at her from the corner of her eyes, "Really? I would have thought that you're popular back home."

"Mostly, I hang out with my step sister," she explained. "She gets lonely often..."

"Don't you do girl stuff like this often?" Julie asked as she gestured to her nose.

"Mostly we read..." Jet confessed. "Masky has a bad habit of giving us allegedly used books."

She pondered on that for a moment. "Not that I'm against reading; I'm just not really a fan of it..." she grinned, embarrassed. "That aside, I didn't know you had a younger sister."

Jet smiled at the memory of her younger sister. "We're not really sisters. My parents adopted her and to be honest, I'm glad they did. Growing up alone was quite sad."

Julie nodded in agreement as she remembered her own older sister. "My sister and I bonded a lot. We had friendly Bakugan brawls, she helped me with dancing and theater and basically building up whatever confidence I have at the moment."

The other female found herself smiling at imagining a little Julie with a slightly older version of her dancing into some sort of dance genre and laughing when they fell down. They talked about a few things until they heard the creaking of a door coming from the room upstairs. Jet froze first and then Julie instinctively grabbed the bolster pillow beside her.

"I thought you said no one was here?" The tanned girl mouthed to the other beside her. Jet placed a finger to her lips as she silently tiptoed to the stairs. Masquerade's house was rather large and there were some rooms that she undoubtedly knew nothing about.

"Hey Blondie!" A female voice called out sleepily and for a moment, Julie thought that Masquerade was cheating on Jet. The female by the stairs didn't seem to share her sentiment though. "Are you home?"

A black-haired female appeared by the railing. She was wearing a cotton sleeping gown that reached to her knees. Her hair was messy and she even mussed it up as she approached the stairs and yawned. The Australian was about to confront the girl, but was stopped when Jet suddenly asked, "Chaq?"

The addressed female's eyes flew open. "Jetty?" She excitedly went down the stairs and tackled the brunette. She was somewhat akin to a very excited toddler in a teen's body. "You're home early!"

"Wh-What are you doing here?" She managed to ask despite the initial shock of seeing her sister inside Masquerade's house.

"Your boyfriend told me to come," she replied simply as she pulled away from Jet. "He said something about you in a maid costume. I went here immediately."

"All the way from Chicago?" She asked and the younger female nodded. "You really shouldn't be surprised, Jetty," Chaq reminded her sister. "You know how extremely spontaneous and unpredictable your boyfriend is."

Julie liked seeing the difficulty in the brunette's face when she insisted that she is in no relationship with her best friend. The other female, Chaq, doesn't seem to care about such claims. Nonetheless, she decided to step out and introduce herself. "Hi!" She started. "You must be Jet's younger sister."

Obviously, the nightgown-clad girl wasn't used to strangers, but clasped the other's hand anyway. "I'm Chaq," she smiled pleasantly. "If I remember correctly, you're Julie right?"

"You know Julie?"

"Your boyfriend gave me a dossier about your workmates," she winked. "It was really interesting. Alice's file is like it's something straight out of a novel. Runo sounds like a very tsundere person. Mira sounds like a very interesting person. Chan seemed a bit intimidating to me."

Julie couldn't agree more at the 'Runo is a tsundere' part. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe I've met someone who thinks the same way about Runo!"

This sparked interest in Chaq's eyes, gone was her awkwardness with Julie and she said, "I'm positive she's, one way or another, interested in Daniel Kuso."

"I like your sister already, Jet," the Australian grinned. "She's got quite the insight."

"You mean she's quite the chameleon..." Jet mirrored their grins.

"And you look like a penguin, Jetty," Chaq giggled as she pointed at her sister's nose. "What's that, oatmeal?" She clucked her tongue.

"Oh please," Jet pouted. "It removes blackheads. Plus Masky has a lifetime supply of oatmeal hidden in that pompous hair of his."

This makes Julie burst out to laughter and it initiated a chain reaction which caused the three of them to laugh and suddenly chase each other around the house like a bunch of pre-schoolers: Jet and Julie trying to pin Chaq down and force her into a mud pack that the tanned female had conveniently packed into her bag. Being the marathon participant, the brunette managed to chase down her younger sister while Julie attempted to neatly put the mud pack on the younger female's face. Unfortunately, she put up a fight and they ended up smearing stuff all over one another.

Suddenly, Runo's stress in dealing with Alice's mishap of a relationship and Mira's overbearing intent to kill are all so far away. Julie felt like she'd gotten younger as she laughed with Chaq and Jet and chased each other around Masquerade's house. When they got tired, the entire house was a mess, furniture turned awry and some were toppled over. Some parts of the house had mud stains and oatmeal crusts. The owner of the house won't be so pleased when he gets back, but they were past caring.

It wasn't until they heard the door unlocking did they panic. All three seemed to have the same thought and they immediately launched themselves at the door, causing it to close back again. They heard a disorganized grunt as the door clicked shut. "Chaq!" Masquerade called out angrily. "Open the door this instant!"

"No," she replied defiantly, causing the two other females to snicker quietly. "Pegasus is pooing. She needs a little privacy!"

They heard a sigh from the other side of the door. "First of all, I'm not three to believe that. Even if I were three, I wouldn't believe you anyway."

"So why say that?" She retorted.

Another sigh came out of the blonde's lips. "Second, I saw your sister there and Julie, if I'm not mistaken."

"That was Pegasus," she blurted out without thinking. "She was playing tricks on your mind so you won't interfere."

There was a significant pause and finally, the masked blonde sighed again. "I swear, I don't know why they haven't sent you to a mental institution yet."

A retort was at her lips before the other two females could actually make another thought. "I swear I don't know why they haven't sent _you_ to a mental institution. I mean who wears a mask like that anyway?"

"Isn't it rude to question other people's tastes?"

"Isn't it rude to walk in on someone who's taking a dump?"

They heard another sigh and the sound of footsteps fading away. The three girls waited for a bit until Julie decided to unlock the door. They were surprised when an overpowering force pushed them back and they fell onto the floor. The tanned Australian girl was surprised the most since a sudden weight was on her. She heard Jet squeak as she made out Masquerade clucking his tongue at the mess the three of them made. She was most surprised about the person on top of her.

"Ouch..." He spoke and she knew that voice like the back of her palm.

"Billy?"

Sure enough, she saw her boyfriend's familiar face looking back at her. "Julie!" He didn't lift his weight and instead wrapped his arms around her. "Oh man! I missed you so much!"

Said girl was stunned to even hear the other three exit the scene. She unconsciously raised a hand to return his embrace. While she was an emotional girl, she didn't cry easily, especially when she was happy. Tears tended to get misinterpreted and she made it a point to always smile when she was happy.

Besides, Billy liked it best when she smiled.

"You're back..." she muttered softly despite the extremely awkward position they were in.

He chuckled once. "I'm home, Julie."

She giggled lightly before pushing him off. "Well I don't think crushing me to death is a nice thing to do on your homecoming..."

Billy mimicked her smile and nodded in agreement. "I didn't think you'd be here. I was just planning to tag along with Masquerade until we got to the place where you worked. We saw it was closed and his girlfriend wouldn't answer the phone, so we decided to just go here and wait for her to get home. I didn't think that I'd actually see you here."

The two of them stood up and suddenly, he broke into laughter. "But..." he managed in between pants. "Why are you all dirty, Julie?"

She turned her gaze to the ground sheepishly. "Jet, Chaq and I... well... We kinda ran all over the house..."

His eyes widened in genuine surprise. "You mean there was no Pegasus taking a dump?"

This time, Julie was the one who squealed in laughter. Billy stood there, insulted until he ground his teeth, took her by the waist and kissed her. He could have sworn he heard someone gag, but was past caring. When they broke apart, he asked, "Shall we go?"

She nodded, eager to spend time with her boyfriend that she hasn't seen in a long time. "Burger at my place?" She confirmed.

Billy nodded enthusiastically. If there was one thing he enjoyed the most, it was Julie's cooking. She washed her face and he yelled a few words of gratitude and goodbye to the owner of the house before they left.

The tanned girl rested her head on his chest, marveling at his presence. He talked to her animatedly and she listened to him attentively. It was these small moments that made Julie happy. She really wanted Runo to reconcile with Dan and try to find out the potential of them together or for Alice to really get along with Shun, or for Mira to make up with Ace or find someone better; or have Chan meet the boy who deserves her.

Because she knows that when they experience this; _this_ extremely magical fluttering in your stomach and fuzzy feelings that you can't explain, then they'll have their little moments of happiness as well._  
><em>

But for now, she'll enjoy Billy's homecoming.

* * *

><p><strong>I had fun writing this chapter really... XD<strong>

**It seemed to be a breather for all the drama and the heavy stuff in the previous chapters... Mostly because Julie is really easy-going and Billy is the same so they kinda multiply stuff by two and it makes everything lighter...**

**Anyway it's past 12 here and I'm feeling a little ill so you can blame all that for the craziness in this chapter...**

**And for those who still haven't got it yet, Chaq is kinda, sorta, a little, a bit, by 0.00000000001 percent based on me. XD But hey, I'm sure she enjoyed rebutting Masquerade into speechlessness...**

**Also, the story will now be going through thorough studying so I can decide which is the best course of action. I really don't like repeating myself twice or more so I think I will have to do something about that... Like getting into my real forte... But that will remain a mystery until further notice... Let the suspense kill you...**

**JetravenEx~! Thanks a lot for helping with the ideas... I admit I am being biased, but well... I've known her since my humble beginnings in this site... So yeah...**

**Anyway, please feel free to click the REVIEW button and feel free to convey your deepest darkest thoughts about the contents of this chapter as it is greatly appreciated by the author.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**chquine_harvinellisse**


	13. Kit Kat

Chapter 13

Kit-Kat

.

Runo wished that a string would just fall down right in front of her and when she pulled it, she'd be transported to a place where she didn't need to be a manager.

All she wanted at the moment was to be a teenager.

It didn't help that Alice was being such a secretive person; she had to deal with numerous phone calls, take care of Crest and make inventories to send to her foster parents. She loved them to death, but sometimes she wondered if she could cope up with the expectations they set for her.

She sighed as another problem popped into her ever-growing mental list of problems that she had to solve. Her home tutor tasked her with continuing and finishing her poem. The old woman found it to be creative and very inspired. Thankfully, she didn't have to finish it in one passing; she could pass a stanza at a time.

But the problem was, the blue-haired girl had no poetic sense whatsoever. She would ask Alice for help, but the other girl is currently nursing her suspicious boyfriend. If that boy did anything to her best friend, she was going to smack him silly. But for now, she stared at the blank paper before her and willed her mind to produce something useful. She had to entertain one of her suppliers later tonight and she'd feel better if she had one task to cross off her metal list of problems.

Runo stared at her phone. Her red-headed roommate still hasn't sent her a message. She was getting worried. If that boy tried to pull a move on her best friend, then she wasn't not going to let that slide. She released a sigh as she realized that with the way things were, Alice wasn't going to tell her anything about the Shun boy.

Before long, she decided on where she was going if she wanted to know anything about him. But it pissed her a bit to know that it included Daniel Kuso. The manager put on her white pull over and her rubber shoes. There was only one place she could think of when the brunette was in question.

* * *

><p>Dan was sitting on the bleachers, watching as kids attempted to shoot the ball into the tall hoop. Seeing these kids try so hard to play reminded him of when he and Shun were in the shoes of those kids.<p>

He made a cursory glance at his phone and sighed when he saw that there was no significant change. Shun caught a cold which turned into a fever in a matter of hours and since he knew his friend better than anyone, he knew it was going to take a while to cure. He leaned back and stared at the lazily scrolling clouds. Suddenly a face popped into view. He nearly jumped, but calmed down when he saw that she wasn't wearing a frown.

"Uh... Hello?" He started lamely.

Runo huffed and fell into place beside him. "I knew I'd find you here."

"Aww..." Dan grinned toothily. "You were looking for me?"

The grin disappeared as she smacked him hard on the nape. It's a wonder he's still able to see. "I... wanted to watch some basketball."

Again his shameless side decided to kick in, "You wanted to watch me play?"

And again, he was met by a smack on the head. "Idiot!"

The children at the court paused and stared at them before Runo waved them off, assuring them that everything is fine. She watched as the kids played with enthusiasm and she had to admit, it helped her relax.

"So what's the deal?" Dan asked as he rubbed the sore spot on his head.

"Well... You're friends with Shun right?" She started albeit really rather hesitant.

"Yeah. We've been buddies since we were kids," he clarified.

Runo stared at her shoes, suddenly interested by the smear of dirt at the toe part. "Have you heard anything about him?" She asked, even more hesitant than she first was.

"Well he's got a fever..." Dan replied simply.

"Oh come on! There's no way anyone could get sick in weeks!"

He shrugged, not wanting to invoke her wrath. "That's the way he is. His girlfriend is that Alice girl who works with you right? Why don't you ask her?"

"That's kinda my problem..." she admitted with a slight bow of her head. "I don't think Alice trusts me on this matter. And it's driving me crazy. She's not valuing herself that much."

"So..." the brunette started, "You're here to ask about Shun?" When she nodded he decided to take precaution before even thinking about incurring her wrath. "Well... I'll tell you... As long as you don't hurt me or anything."

While it would have sounded as a cry for mercy, Runo didn't point it out and merely nodded.

"Shun is the only child of his parents... And you know, rich families right? I mean, you're one of them..." he cleared his throat. "So anyway, even when we were kids his grandpa would always tell him that he had a lot to do for their company. He had to keep it successful and he had to do good in his studies... For him, even as a kid, it was definitely hard.

"His mom, Mrs. Shiori was the only one who didn't make him feel like an adult. So when she died, he spiraled down worse than anyone I've ever seen... And believe me, I've seen a lot."

Runo huffed at this. "Are you trying to make me feel sorry for him? Even with that he shouldn't be treating Alice like some sort of caregiver..."

He shrugged. "I said I'd tell you about Shun so yeah..." he paused for a moment, thinking of what he was going to say next. Snapping his fingers, he continued, "Oh yeah... He was into drugs and alcohol, but managed to get out of it when he met Fabia Sheen. Shun was really into her.

"And then suddenly they split up. He never told me why but then suddenly he's got a new girl..." Dan finished. "I know this doesn't exactly justify anything, but well..."

"Yeah... I kinda feel bad for prying into his life..." she agreed. "I just really wanted to relax for a bit because Alice hasn't been really... talking to me lately... I'm just worried about her."

Dan sighed, "I know how you feel... Shun is basically the same. But hey, I don't hold it against him."

Runo, suddenly curious, asked, "How many people have you seen..." she recalled his words, "...spiral down?"

"Well..." he scratched the back of his head. "A lot..."

"Oh sorry. It's okay if you don't want to say anything..." she quickly remedied.

"Hey want to go somewhere?" He stood up and turned to her.

"Where?"

"You said you wanted a break right?"

"Well... yeah..."

"So let's go..."

* * *

><p><em>I know karate... If you try any funny moves, I'll break your hand...<em>

Runo looked around warily at the dark and cramped alley that Dan led her to. A million thoughts buzzed in her mind but at the moment, she's calculating how to get away from him as soon as possible. While he didn't strike her as that kind of guy, it still won't hurt to be careful. As they went on further, the more her muscles tensed. When they stopped in front of a small box, she tilted her head at it, but still rather cautious.

The brunette crouched over it and opened one of the flaps a small 'meow' came out of it and immediately, the blue-haired manager dropped her guard. Inside the box are three kittens, one a pure white, a pure black and an orange-flecked white.

"Hey guys, I want you to meet Runo," Dan gestured at the female behind him.

"You've been taking care of these?" She clarified.

"Well yeah..." an embarrassed hand made its way to his nape. "I couldn't keep them at home so I brought them here."

Runo petted one of the kittens and turned to Dan pointedly. "You do know that this is an abandoned alley right?"

"This is one of the safest places for little kittens. Everywhere else is filled with stray dogs or large rats."

Absently, the blue-haired manager smiled, a notion that earned her a remark from the brunette beside her.

"Hey, you actually look good when you smile."

And she rolled her eyes. "I bet that's how every girl looks like..."

"Nah," he waved a dismissive hand. "My mom looks awful if she tried to smile like that."

"And I bet she breaks your hand if you tell her that..."

"Well... She did..."

At the moment, Runo didn't know if they were still in the same page. "Did?"

Immediately, he perked up, "Oh it's nothing..." Suddenly his ears picked up low growling. "Did you hear that?"

Instinctively, the manager put the flaps on the box and brought it to her arms. "We should go."

"I think we should check it out," he countered and earned a smack to the head.

"Are you insane?" She shouted a little louder than she should have because immediately, the dogs hiding in the shadows made themselves known to the two teens and pursued with the stealth of a Formula 1 car on an empty race track.

An incoherent cry is released from Dan's throat as he pulls Runo away from the dogs and out into the streets. Unfortunately for both of them, the dogs continued their pursuit.

"DANIEL KUSO WHY DIDN'T YOU..." And a string of nonsense took in the place of her coherent tirade. Dan merely chuckled as he pulled her by the elbow to the main street, where there were more cars and hydrant to hopefully distract them.

"I guess you're not really fond of dogs huh?" He said jokingly in the same volume and pitch that she'd used earlier.

"OH SHUT UP!" She screamed again as she continued running. "WHERE DO YOU PLAN TO GO?"

"I don't know!" Dan shouted back.

"WHAT?!"

Looking around frantically, Runo decided to take matters into her own hands. Marucho had owned a dog once, but since she'd dreamed about the mangy and drooling pug running around her room splashing reddish drool, she'd come to be _very _hesitant about them. She remembered the box in her arms and hoped that she wasn't jostling the kittens too much. Cats she cared for, but dogs? Not so much.

She released an incoherent exclamation when Dan suddenly carried her in his arms and continued running. "Where do we go?" He shouted over the din of barking and cars and other miscellaneous sounds found in the place.

Gaining her bearings, the manager pointed shakily into a certain direction that she was sure would lead to Crest before she buried her face into his shoulder and continued her incoherent screaming.

A few more laps ran later, Runo opened her eyes to see that they're at the back of Crest. She gingerly put the box down and sighed in relief as the kittens weren't harmed in any way. But her relief was short-lived as she spun around and punched the brunette square on the nose. He recoiled with a small 'ow' before opening his mouth to retort, but she beat him to it.

"WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING? WE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!"

Dan could have sworn that the kittens hid inside the box as they cringed. Nonetheless he listened to her ramblings and apologized in all the right places. When he thought she was done, he asked, "So... Did you have fun?"

"WHAT KIND OF DEMENTED QUESTION IS THAT? I-," she stopped because between awkward talks about someone-she-doesn't-really-know's past, going into alleys to see cats and being chased by dogs, she completely forgot about her problems. And it could contribute to taking a break and by extension, having fun. She lowered her fist and trained her eyes to the ground before nodding meekly.

The brunette had a satisfied grin on his face. "Well that's good then."

She fidgeted with her feet before asking, "You... wouldn't want to eat something, would you?"

Dan didn't know what to make of her tone, but since she talked about food, he answered, "I would. And I think the little kitties want some milk too..."

Chuckling, Runo took out the key to the back door and opened it. She flicked on a few lights and waited for them to settle into one of the tables as she took a bottle of milk from the fridge. Mira liked drinking them in between work hours. Handing it to Dan, she disappeared back into the kitchen and started to cook. Faintly behind her, she could hear the slight meowing of the kittens and Dan smothering them with baby talk.

She shook her head as she finished the plating and came out of the kitchen with two plates of steaming fried rice and omelette. The brunette met her halfway and grinned as he put his plate down. "I didn't think you'd even be able to cook..." he commented, but one could tell that he didn't mean it. His attention was solely on the plate right in front of him.

"I had to learn a lot of things since I was adopted, you know?" Runo said, chuckling. "Marucho didn't like what the cook made for him so I had mom teach me..."

Chewing thoroughly, he swallowed and asked, "How was being adopted by the Marakuras?"

She nodded as she chewed her own food. "It was very nice. I mean it's the only place where I've been to other than the orphanage so... I can't really say much..."

"What about the orphanage?"

"It was cold every night and we had to work for our meals," she replied. "Most of the time, kids ran off because they didn't like how they were treated..."

"You seem like the type who'd run off," Dan commented as he spooned some more of his omelette and rice. "I mean... I dunno... You just really give that kind of impression..."

Runo chuckled a bit. "Well... I did try to run off once, but when I thought of how I just had to sweep and sew and make dog food just for a hot meal, I thought better. I don't even know why I got adopted into this... well-off family, but I guess I should be thankful enough."

"You never struck me as the deep kind of person..." he added with a toothy grin. "But then again, you are a girl, so I guess that comes with the package."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked rather menacingly. "Are you making fun of me?"

He raised his hands in surrender again. "No. I was... thinking out loud. Besides, I've found out today that there's more to you than meets the eye."

Runo couldn't remember what they did after that, but she was sure her mind was at ease.

* * *

><p>She sat in front of a blank paper; deliveries have been confirmed for the next day and Alice had sent her a message about going to work. Now all she needed was the poem.<p>

Since she'd done a lot during the day, she decided to make more than two lines, just so she can reduce the number of lines and stanzas she had to make in the future. Runo stared at the paper that she'd passed-or rather, the one that Alice had salvaged from the trash and passed to their tutor-and thought long and hard about how she was going to continue the previous two-liner.

"Human beings whose wills cannot be bent, are surely boys, thickheaded by descent," she recited quietly before taking up her pen and starting to write on the other blank paper.

_**The prod and talk**_

_**And play and squawk**_

_**But mostly they're cool**_

_**Though sometimes a fool**_

Satisfied, she wrote her name at the top left corner before folding it and placing it neatly on her drawer. She took notice of the picture neatly placed on the stack of calling cards and other pieces of paper and picked it up. It had been a long time since she last saw her parents. And when she did get the chance to talk to them, it'd be just about Crest and nothing more.

She missed them. She missed how Marucho would latch onto her arms or her legs because she was taller. She's still taller, but the young blonde is well past his childish antics. She missed how her dad would read them books on cold nights by the fireplace and how her mom would bake them cookies and cakes.

She missed them all, and suddenly, she felt like an orphan again, alone and without anyone to look after her.

Unknowingly, a pair of reddish eyes and a mop of brown hair made her feel at ease as Runo pulled the blankets over her.

* * *

><p><strong>I have mixed feelings about this chapter... Glad because there's more interaction between the lovebirds and a bit unsatisfied because this seemed more like a drabble to me...<strong>

**Also, for those who still don't get it, this is the pattern:**

**RunoxDan, AlicexShun, JetxMasky (I am not removing this no matter what anyone says), MiraxAce and ChanxJoe... If you cannot follow that then I ask you to not leave a review anymore... I don't need a lot of useless reviews anyway...**

**And yeah, the AlicexShun chapter is next and as for the thorough studying, I have decided to go through what I am good at... So deal with it, love or hate this, it's not really that big of a deal...**

**Anyway, please feel free to click the REVIEW button and feel free to convey your deepest darkest thoughts about the contents of this chapter as it is greatly appreciated by the author.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**chquine_harvinellisse**


	14. Her, him and me

Chapter 14

Her, him and me

.

"Fabia..."

Alice turned to the male on the bed, and placed the damp cloth on his forehead after wringing it dry. She sighed after leaning back against the chair behind her. He'd been sick for a few weeks and while it should be weird, her conscience wouldn't let her leave him without at least making sure that he's not bedridden anymore.

Shun tossed in his bed before opening his eyes. "You're still here?" He asked in a raspy tone.

"Who else is going to take care of you?" She asked blankly. "I did agree to be your girlfriend..."

"You make it sound like a death sentence..." he chuckled before breaking into a cough. "You could always tell Dan to come over and leave me something to eat..."

Alice's eyebrows met one another. "That would make me a bad girlfriend," she argued.

"Look, no one's watching us and no one's obligating you to look after me..." he said weakly as he sat up. "And don't you have work at that café?"

"Runo told me that Jet and someone named Chaq is replacing me," she replied. "So I can stay here. But if you don't want me to stay here, I can leave..."

He pondered on that for a moment. She'd been doing a good job of taking care of him that the normally one month of sickness will close out at about two and a half. "I've troubled you long enough. I can move around on my own."

Alice nodded before she picked up the basin of water and threw the contents away. She sighed heavily; it had been tiring for her to go to her shared house and to his and back again. It was even more tiring to look after him because he would constantly mumble in his sleep, making her think that something's wrong, but he's actually just calling Fabia.

_He must really love her..._

Between wondering why they broke up and her exhaustion, Alice didn't want to think that much anymore. She sent a message to Runo, informing the latter that she'll be at home, sleeping. This whole ordeal with Shun made her skip a lot of her tutoring sessions and made her miss a lot of work days. Maybe she was looking into their 'relationship' too much; maybe Shun didn't think in the same light as she did.

She sighed again and left his house, but not after making sure that she left him something to eat. Alice was raised to be caring and considerate and even when tired, she always made sure that the people around her are well looked after.

Unfortunately, she hadn't been doing that for Runo. But the blue-haired manager seemed happier to some extent and she could only envy her friend's comfort.

Her phone rang and she saw her brother calling. "Yes?"

"You sound terrible," he remarked and she rolled her eyes. "What have you been doing these past few weeks?"

She ran a hand through her hair. "Well... I've been taking care of Shun."

"For two whole weeks?" He sounded skeptic, but that was how he always sounded. "Alice, is something wrong?"

As much as she wanted him to know that her 'boyfriend' was... probably the worst idea she ever had in her entire life, but she thought better. Getting married to Klaus was an even more gruesome thought that she wanted gone as soon as possible.

"No," she shook her head because it probably made it more concrete to her. "I'm fine... You already have your hands full with Jet and I don't want to be a bother."

"Alice," he started in _that_ brotherly tone. "You're my sister. If anything, I feel bad that you're the one grandfather's forcing into marriage and not me..."

"You've done a lot," she assured him. "Can you call me later? I have to study..."

"Of course," he answered and from the background, Alice could hear distant shouting of a rather high-pitched voice. She could make out something about dragons and a wicked blonde warlock who had her sister captive. It seemed like a good idea to her to spend time in her brother's house. Everything seems lively there. Her phone beeped and she saw a message from Runo.

_"I'll be out for a while Alice."_

She smiled absently. With Julie being reunited with Billy and Runo finally bouncing back to her old self, it seemed unfair for her to be the only one wallowing in this deep pit of something she really didn't know anything about. Finally, she decided to go to her brother's house, but after she'd rested. Shun was completely out of her mind, but she failed to notice that the sign for walk, wasn't on.

It only clicked to her when a speeding car was heading towards her. An arm wrenched her away from the road and into the sidewalk.

"Are you okay?" A concerned voice asked her.

She nodded before thanking the one who pulled her.

"Actually," the voice said before she could say anything more. "Could you please tell me where Crest café is?"

Alice raised her head and saw a pair of extremely familiar blue eyes, the same color and hue as Mira's eyes. His hair was a slightly pale yellow than her brother's. "Oh," she started. "Continue down this road," she pointed to the road before her. "And then take a left. You'll see it there."

The male nodded as he started to walk. The red head lingered there for a moment until the light for them to walk went red again. She waited until he was out of sight. And then she remembered how she failed to mention that she worked at the place. With another sigh, she headed to their house and took a nice long nap.

* * *

><p>She woke up with a start as her phone disturbed the otherwise silence of her room.<p>

Alice took a peek at the offending gadget and saw a message from Shun; despite her sleepiness, she could make out that he was on his way to her house.

"Didn't you just recover?" She mumbled as she forced herself out of bed and brushed her hair. Not only was she raised to be considerate, she was also raised to be aesthetically acceptable at all times. She changed into her white hooded sweater and denim shorts. She padded through the kitchen and took out a cold piece of toast she first set eyes on. It didn't taste good and it was hard around the edges, but she hardly cared.

The doorbell rang and she was quick to open the door. Shun was there, standing in all his glory, as if he wasn't bed ridden a few hours ago. She opened the door wider and said, "Come in..."

"This is a pretty neat place you have," he commented as he removed his large combat boots and left them at the door. His attire was mostly black, except for the green vest that seemed to do little to ward off the cold.

"I share this place with Runo." She said as she met eyes with him. "Are you sure you're alright?"

He nodded wordlessly. He noticed the desks placed side by side and noted at how the one seemed to be neater than the other. "I'm guessing that the cleaner desk is yours?" He asked casually.

Alice nodded, but utterly confused as to why this male is even here. "Is there something you want, Shun?" She asked warily. Despite their alleged status, they were complete strangers to one another. She knew that he loved his girlfriend, but other than that, there's nothing more.

"Yeah," he sat on the couch like he owned the place. "Your grandfather is one of the kinds of smart people that I don't want to cross... So we need to talk about things..."

She raised a hesitant brow. "What kind of things?"

"Things like, your favorite color, favorite food, drink and all those other things that a boyfriend is supposed to be aware of," he answered, but even Alice could tell that he was detached.

"Shun-kun..." she started but cut herself short. He said he didn't want her to be some meek little girl.

But before she could say anything, the black-haired male cut her short, "Your job is to be a replacement. Don't make it complicated, Alice..."

The red head winced as her name came out of his mouth. It was rough, it was careless and it was nothing like how she imagined it to be in the romance novels she read. She should have stamped into her head that those were works of fiction and this was reality. "I don't have favorite stuff," she blurted after a while. "I like a general lot of things..."

He sighed. "Then you don't mind if I equate Fabia's likes with yours right?"

She winced again. "I thought you wanted to get over her?"

Shun smirked. "I thought you wanted to be her replacement?"

"I don't understand the nature of this deal then," she protested, a little more bravely than she thought she would be.

The ninja stood up from his seat and leaned towards her, with both arms braced on either side of her head as he brought their faces closer to one another. "You're..." he drawled as he toyed with the ends of her hair with his thumb, index and middle fingers. "You're a puppet... I delude myself to the fact that you're Fabie until I can tell you apart and the mere thought of her sickens me to the pits of my stomach..." his voice was husky and low and menacing. Alice didn't know how she managed to keep staring into his eyes as he enunciated each and every word.

"Got that?" He slightly tilted his head.

"Yes, Shun-kun..." she squeaked silently.

With a satisfied smirk, he indulged his lips on hers. His eyes closed immediately and Alice followed suit after she realized what was happening. She reminded herself what he'd told her about his ex girlfriend, but came up with nothing and decided to just respond in the best way she thought would be. Apparently, he wasn't satisfied as his hand made its way to her nape and pushed her face even closer to him.

"Get dressed," he murmured against her lips. "We're going to a party..." and just like that, he kissed her again, with the same-if not more-intensity than the first kiss. "I want my puppet to be the best there is..."

Absently, she nodded, waiting for him to let her go. When they parted, she clambered out of the couch and rushed into her room, locking the door behind her for extra precaution.

The red head tried to still her breathing, hoping that her heartbeat wasn't loud enough to be heard by the male a door away from her. Without much thought, she put on her black halter dress. Its bodice was tight-fitting, showing her curves and the longer length of the skirt at the left side gave a quite generous view of her flawless legs. She settled for her black glittering pumps and decided to let Shun be the judge for her hair and make up.

When she got out, he immediately studied her. The female felt increasingly self-conscious as he circled around her, a contemplative hand on his chin.

"Change," he all but ordered. "I don't want you to look sultry. I want you to look like an angel."

Now that she was rather familiar with.

She changed into a strapless dress with a slightly flared skirt, giving it the impression that it was big even as it ended at the knees. On her feet were white pumps, a white choker adorned her neck and the matching earrings were kept perfectly on her lobe. When she got out, Shun nodded in satisfaction. He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and said, "That's better..." he noted the slight pink on her lips and lingered there for a while until he looked away.

He put on his combat boots wordlessly and Alice followed behind him.

* * *

><p>"Good evening, Mr. Kazami," the receptionist at the hotel lobby greeted them. "Your grandfather is waiting for you at the second floor."<p>

"Thanks," he said blankly and offered his arm to Alice who accepted it without another word. She was going to ask, but she had a clue what this was for. She grew up in the kind of society where more successful individuals held parties at prestigious events so they can flaunt their achievements and rub them in the faces of those who aren't as accomplished.

They got off the elevator that dinged softly and as they came to a bend, they ran into a girl that both of them knew very well how to label.

Fabia was wearing a red asymmetrical dress that hugged her figure snugly. It accentuated her slightly wider hips than the red head's and her slender and flat stomach. Her hair was gathered to the side and on her ears were golden loops. She was wearing a pair of black stilettos and a thin gold cuff on each wrist.

"Hello Shun," she greeted casually and her eyes fell on Alice. "I don't believe we've met before..."

Before she could open her mouth to say anything more, Shun cut in. "This is Alice Gehabich, my girlfriend."

The red-clad female's green eyes lit up with understanding as she heard this. "Ah, a Gehabich... I can see why you picked her Shun."

He smirked in reply. "She's infinitely better than you, Fabia."

"Yes well," she didn't seem to be even slightly offended by his statement. "I shouldn't keep you. Your grandfather's looking for you." She made a move to walk past them, but Shun's voice stopped her.

"Which reminds me, what _are_ you doing here, Fabia?" He asked with a hint of venom in his voice.

Her eyes settled on him and then on Alice who'd been feeling rather insignificant in their conversation. "Your grandfather is using our processed wood for his collection of weapons. I assume you're to occupied to know? Or maybe it's the advantages of having a Gehabich on your side has deluded you?"

With that, she walked past them, her heels silently clacking on the polished tiles.

Shun all but pulls Alice with him as they open the double doors that led to the area. An old man wearing traditional Japanese clothes met them there. "You're late Shun," he gave the Russian red head a once-over before continuing. "I told you to come early."

"Look on the bright side, gramps," and that concluded their relationship with one another. "At least I didn't skip or anything."

The old man huffed before leaving the pair. Shun led her to a table at the far back. "My grandfather is showing his new collection of weaponry. Aside from that-,"

"The Kazami family is extensively known for their interior decorating and authentic Japanese music box manufacturing," she recited, a textbook answer, but it was enough to make him smirk a bit. The two of them noticed that Fabia entered the hall and sat with one of the older females sitting at one table.

"I can certainly understand why you like her," she said absently. "She manages to keep you down..."

Shun scoffed a bit bitterly. "Yeah welll... She's a beast like that..."

The emcee at the front caught their attention. "Venerable men and women, let us offer a warm round of applause to the spokesperson of new partner of the Kazami industries, Miss Fabia Sheen."

Applause rang through the air as the impossibly small female managed to accomplish such a large feat. "Thank you. For years our wood works have been praised as above average products, something that our family has been quite proud of. The Patriarch of the Kazami industries did us an honor of accepting us as their partner and we intend to meet your expectations. On behalf of the entire family, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart."

There was applause again as the climbed off the stage. Despite herself, Alice commented, "She's a bit young for a spokesperson, don't you think?"

"I think they made the right decision," Shun shook his head. "She's charismatic and diplomatic at the same time. I say they sweet-talked my grandfather with her wits."

"And what about you?"

He shot her a quizzical look.

"What do you think about her?"

He sighed heavily and she could see as his eyes lingered on her svelte form. "She's still the most beautiful beast I've ever laid eyes on."

And she couldn't blame him.

* * *

><p>The night dragged on and not even once did the Kazami Patriarch visit their table to check on his grandson and his alleged girlfriend. As a matter of fact, not much people noticed their presence. Perhaps it was because of Fabia's overwhelming ability to talk about stocks and academics all at the same time, but either way, Alice was silent during most of the duration of the entire evening.<p>

She emerged from one of the stalls and headed out of the bathroom. Shun was waiting in the car and she wanted to get home as fast as possible. She had work tomorrow and make an essay to pass to her tutor. Seeing that the ninja wasn't anywhere near the car, she decided to make herself comfortable in the passenger's seat. The red head fiddled with the radio and finally stopped at a station where they were oddly playing nursery rhymes. She found it to be rather relaxing as she listened to the insanely high-pitched voices and the barely coherent words.

Looking out the window, she saw Fabia walk out of the front doors. Her phone was in her hand and she seemed to be talking to someone. Alice contemplated on talking to the woman (if only to ease the insecurity she felt), but was cut short when she saw Shun emerge from one of the halls. He came up behind the red-clad female and grabbed her phone.

The next events unfolded far too quickly for Alice's tastes. Shun grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her towards him. He captured her lips and for a moment, Fabia resisted until her eyes came to a close and she ran her fingers through his jet black hair.

Alice looked away and drowned her ears with the sound of the nursery rhyme playing in the background. She closed her eyes and hoped that she would fall asleep so Shun wouldn't think that she saw them. And perhaps closing her eyes would deny whatever she saw right before her.

But unfortunately for her, nothing could distract her from the sight she saw.

* * *

><p><strong>I like the Shun that I'm portraying here... He's more badass, like he should be...<strong>

**Plus I'm liking the Fabia that I'm also portraying... XD She's equally badass...**

**And yeah this is adrenaline of inspiration in work... XD So I might be able to post another chapter soon maybe? Meh it depends... This adrenaline of inspiration might end anytime... XD**

**So next chapter is about JetxMasky aaaaaaaaaaaand meeeeeeeee~! XD**

**Anyway, please feel free to click the REVIEW button and feel free to convey your deepest darkest thoughts about the contents of this chapter as it is greatly appreciated by the author.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**chquine_harvinellisse**


	15. Awkward moments

Chapter 15

Awkward moments

.

Masquerade's house had always been quiet; it's something that the blonde male liked from living alone. Sure, he missed Alice's cooking and the girl didn't talk much, but her friends would often come over and they'd ruin his quiet bachelor life.

The past few days hadn't been quiet for him as Jet and her adopted younger sister, Chaq, played board games that he didn't even know existed. The younger one's imagination has him constantly playing the villain; mostly a warlock. Like the other day when Jet had hidden herself in his room when she'd thought that he wasn't looking. She'd ordered him then to let her sister go and he quoted, "My sister's heart shan't be corrupted by such foul deeds. The DRAGONS SHALL PREVAIL! HAVE AT THEE, BLONDE WARLOCK!"

But now that it was awfully quiet. She managed to slip away before any of them woke up. Now, he was stuck with Jet, who he just remembered was still upset about the video she found in his camcorder a few weeks past. It put them in the best-friends-but-maybe-not-really zone and it made her hide with the other girls from Crest. Apparently, she still hasn't forgiven him for the humiliation of having to drink sake and confessing under the influence of it.

He absently flipped through the book in his hands as he sat on the couch. Jet was at the sink, washing the dishes and placing them neatly on the rack. The blonde was thinking of something to tell her before she left for work. Mentally, he cursed the absence of a certain raven-haired female. Despite his matchless wit and his extensive vocabulary, he couldn't think of anything to tell her and how to start with whatever he was going to say.

When he heard the faucet close, he immediately and inadvertently rose to his feet. "Jet!" He blurted out; the said female turned to him with a quizzical look on his face. Thankfully for him, his face was obscured by his mask that she had no idea why he wore inside the house. "Uh... Well..."

Jet glanced at the clock and held up a hand to make him stop. "Can that wait until tonight? I'm going to be late for work."

He could have said that he could drive her all the way to Crest, but he merely nodded and left the girl to her own devices. Masquerade sank back to his seat and decided to check on the company for the rest of the day. Maybe he should invite Jet out for dinner since her sister isn't anywhere to be found. Grabbing his phone, the blonde quickly looked for a place that would suit his best friend's tastes. Long after she had left, he took a shower and left.

But he left a not addressed to Chaq:

_"Hey... Go get the keys at the lobby... Your sister's coming with me for dinner..._

_P.S: If you do anything funny, I'll kick you out of the house..."_

He could only hope that Jet wouldn't decide to go back to the house and see that note.

* * *

><p>Alice was present at work and for some reason, she seemed to be frowning a lot.<p>

Runo was the exact opposite of her roommate. She was rather quiet but one could tell that she was... happy in a way.

Mira was absent. Her brother visited yesterday and she promised she'd help him find somewhere to stay for a while as he took care of something business-related.

Chan, Jet and Julie were the only ones who didn't have any changes in them. The three continued to go on about their business, taking orders, Jet washed the plates as Chan practiced her westernized cooking skills on the food that they served. Thankfully, none of the customers noticed the slightly different mix of flavors in the dishes.

"So... I might not be able to go to work for a few days," Julie concluded her long and arduous speech about how Billy was going to spend vacation and she promised she'd go with him. "Would that be okay Runo?"

"Hm? Oh, of course Julie. Mira's coming back tomorrow anyway," she shrugged. "And I'm sure her brother didn't really need an entire day to look for a place to stay..." she said as she sipped on her melon shake. She turned to the red head beside her, "So... You okay Alice?"

"Hm?" The Russian girl imitated the manager's first statement before she nodded. "Oh yeah..."

"You've been zoned out for a few days now," Chan remarked.

"Well..." her hesitance was plain as day.

"Have you told your brother about this?" Jet asked and the sound of her older brother made Alice frantic.

"Please don't tell him." She all but pleaded. "I mean... I've escaped marrying Klaus..."

Runo made a distasteful remark about him. The German brat was well-bred indeed, but that did little to keep him from being ignorant.

"And whatever problem I have right now is something I want to face alone," she turned to Jet and said, "So please keep it a secret from him."

"So there is something wrong," Chan folded her arms across her chest.

"Well..." the Russian red head stammered. Thankfully Runo held up a hand.

"It's okay Alice... You don't have to tell us if you don't want to..." she assured her with a hand to the shoulder. "Either way, if that ninja hot shot tries to do anything to you, you just need to tell us..."

"Mira's going to make sure he needs new limbs," Julie winked.

"...And new eyes..." Chan chimed with a grin.

Finally, the red head smiled, a real smile that would make anyone who see her, immediately fall for her.

The bell over the door clinked and Runo whipped her head to its direction, ready to berate whatever masked blonde was there, but she stopped when she saw Mira and her brother, who they just met yesterday, Keith, standing at the entrance.

"Hey," Mira greeted with a wave.

"I thought for a second it was Masquerade again..." Runo sighed.

"Ah, you're the girl who pointed me towards here," Keith spoke up as he glanced at Alice's general direction. "I didn't think you'd be working here."

The red head smiled and said, "I didn't think you'd be Mira's brother."

Julie leaned against her palm and mused out loud, "What is it with red headed younger sisters and their blonde older brothers?"

"I share your sentiment," Chan nodded as they shared a fist bump.

"Are you just dropping in?" Runo asked and earned a shake of the head from the blue-eyed girl.

"I'm reporting in for work..." she jerked a thumb at her brother's general direction. "He said he wanted to go back here because the," she quoted, "'People are nice'..."

"You make me sound like a liar, little sister," Keith rested his arm at the top of her head, looking smug rather than hurt. Mira immediately moved away from him and into the kitchen.

"If the potatoes get mashed," Chan started, "It's on you, Keith..."

"Actually," he started as he turned towards the register, "I would like to work in the kitchen for today too."

"What?" Runo blurted. "And risk this day of good sales?"

"Ever the businesswoman," he chuckled cryptically. "I will need to be going anyway. Have a pleasant day ladies..."

Just like that, the blonde left.

Jet chuckled and stretched out her arms. She'd gotten accustomed to the uniform, but was still quite uncomfortable with the roller blades and the men trying to hit on her. She's pretty much resolved on the fact that she's helplessly in-like with her best friend and he possibly feels the same way. At the moment, she didn't know why she was still ignoring him and resorting to monosyllabic replies, but she knew that deep down, she wanted to hear him apologize.

Given his ego, she was probably hoping for a miracle.

"Jet?" Alice suddenly called and when she had the attention of the brunette continued, "Thanks a lot."

"For what?" She tilted her head.

"I'm sure he's happier now that you're here..."

She was about to say something when Chan suddenly let out an incoherent exclamation. Her mouth was wide open and her eyes were forever transfixed on the clock. "I completely forgot!"She rushed into the kitchen and Mira emerged from it. "What got her buttons?" She tilted her head at them.

"Maybe because it's a Saturday?" Julie offered.

As if on cue, the Chinese girl came out, changed and rapidly approaching the door. "Sorry Runo!" She said with finality as she put on her necklace. "I forgot that I had an appointment today!"

Before they could say anything more, she was gone. They all glanced pointedly at Mira who merely shrugged and looked just as clueless as the rest of them.

"Well..." Runo stood up, "Since that's that... I suppose we should just make do with what we have."

* * *

><p>The bell above the door chimed and Runo frowned slightly as she saw Masquerade standing there, smug and still confident. "We're closing blondie," she snapped at him.<p>

He smirked and leaned over the register's counter. "Unlike the other times when I bent your rules, I'm here for something that doesn't involve tampering with your temper..."

Hearing that made the manager drop her shoulders. "Then why are you here?"

Behind his glass mask that no-one-saw-through, his eyes widened. "Did you get laid or something?"

"WHAT?!"

From the kitchen, Julie heard some grunting as she patted her hair in front of the mirror and smiled in satisfaction. She walked out to the café and waved goodbye to Runo who was sorting out the bills. "Bye Runo." She glanced to the side where Masquerade was on the floor and she could have sworn that there was some smoke sizzling from his impossibly raised hair. "Bye Blondie!"

Alice and Jet came out of the kitchen and stared puzzled at Runo who silently excused herself and the sight of a mutually known blonde on the floor.

"Nii-sama?"

"Masquerade?"

Immediately he righted himself. "Well... I guess I was out of spite there."

"What are you doing here?" Alice asked.

He stood up and uncharacteristically dusted the imaginary lint off his clothes. "Well... Hello Alice..." he nodded silently at the other female who is actually his best friend. "I came here to pick up my best friend for dinner."

Nodding, Alice merely pushed Jet towards her brother. She waved goodbye and called out to Runo that she'd be going on ahead.

They stood there in silence until he stammered up. "I... Well... I..."

"You were going to invite me for dinner?" She clarified.

"Er... Yeah... I just thought that maybe you wanted to eat better food than those delivered... uh... things..." he all but spluttered out.

At that Jet could barely contain her laughter. Before her was one of the most mature, but not really at times, people she knew. But now, he was this mumbling mess of himself that had an awkward hand rubbing his nape. If she looked really closely, a tell tale blush was also on his cheeks. "Well... I am a bit hungry..."

That was all he needed to revert back to his cool and stern self. He handed her a scarf and said, "It's a bit cold outside." The blonde gestured to his motorcycle that was parked a few ways away from the door. "Ready for a ride?"

She wrapped the scarf around her neck and nodded with a lopsided smile.

For a while, he was just Masquerade, her best friend and not someone who she really wanted to hear apologize.

* * *

><p>When they finally arrived at the destination, Jet thought that she was inadequately dressed for the place.<p>

"Are you sure we're eating here?"

He shrugged, "They have good steak..."

Even with the simplistic reason, the entire place was literally sparkling. The chandeliers that hung from the ceiling sparkled and the tiles seemed to be embedded with materials that had the same reaction as the chandeliers when subjected to light. Everything was too bright and for some reason, Jet suddenly felt as though she wanted to leave.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" She asked him again.

"It didn't look this bright in the brochure, but I'm sure this is the place," he replied as he secured the lock of his motorcycle. They stepped inside and he uttered a few words to the lady at the front desk. They conversed as the brunette looked around, transfixed by there mere sparkle of the place.

As Masquerade talked with the lady at the front desk, the double doors opened and revealed a blue-haired girl that was wearing a soft yellow dress and a long white coat over it. Behind her was a trolley that she pulled along with her. Her green eyes lit up with recognition as she saw the blonde and she strode over purposefully towards him.

"Master Gehabich, it's a surprise to see you here," she told him.

Turning, the blonde nodded in recognition. "Fabia," he acknowledged. "That title is a bit too grandiose, don't you think?"

She offered him a shrug. "I didn't start it," Fabia informed him. "I met your sister last night. Alice Gehabich right?"

His lips curved into a frown. "Last night was the Kazami's event right?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "It was held here and I was here last night... Hurray for my life..."

He chuckled before he turned to Jet and asked, "Shall we go?" And when she nodded, he said, "Fabia, this is Jet, my best friend. Jet, this is Fabia. She's one of the people who don't look like it, but is actually an intellectual badass..."

The girl raised a brow. "You mean a nerd." She smiled at Jet and said, "It was nice meeting you." With that, she took her room keys and waved to them as she left.

"Alice was here?" Jet mirrored the concern that was in his mind.

"I think I will have to talk to her about this some other time," he said. "But if Fabia saw her, I don't think she was in trouble." He offered his arm and led her to the southern exit. They went through a door and into a well-lit place, dark in all the right places, but dotted with small lights. The entire place was quaint; far from the extravagance displayed at the front area. A cart with food stood to the side, smoke slowly still wafted from the steak and something told Jet that they'll be uninterrupted there.

She pulled out a chair for herself and sat down. "You went over the top for this, didn't you Masky?" She teased as she sat on the chair across her.

He shrugged and said, "The privacy was what I was aiming for." He handed her the plate and took his own in front of him. His hands went to his temples and he started to lift his mask off his face.

His eyes were closed at first and when he opened them, he averted his eyes from her. Jet frowned. "Why are you still acting like that when you know that I won't judge?"

He turned to her and even through the thin film of tasty-smelling smoke between them, she could see his eyes that he hid all his life. His left eye was a natural brown, like Alice's; his right eye was a deep green.

"You're eyes are pretty," she told him gently, knowing that they've been the object of his ridicule since he was able to stand.

"Do you remember when I fell off the roof with a sprain and a broken mask?" He asked her, looking at the wall and not her. "The kids pointed at me and called me names. You and Chaq were the only ones who actually helped me off the ground and brought me to your mom. I've had worse before you met me. My grandfather's business partners were put off by me for some ignorant reason.

"I wanted to be the best I could be because the old mad had been kind enough to look after me after my mom died. I really hated having heterochromia because people brushed me off before they even gave me a chance." He sighed. "I'm sorry if I blackmailed you..." he said softly.

And there she had it.

"I really like you Jet..." he said quietly, afraid that someone else could hear him, like it was a little secret that he wanted to keep between the two of them. "Not only because you're the first person who never judged me, but also because... Because you're Jet..."

It was something that would have come out of the books that Chaq hated, but Jet smiled anyway. "I like you better without the mask..." she said and marveled at the small frown on his face. "But that doesn't make me feel any less towards you."

"I thought it was my job to play with words?" He asked playfully.

Jet chuckled and asked, "So... why didn't you like Chaq?"

And all she received from him in reply to that particular question was a grimace.

* * *

><p>Chaq spied the note on the door, paid minimal attention to it and grabbed her lock picker. She tinkered with the door and when it clicked open, she was greeted by the sight of her sister and Masquerade standing by the window with their lips together.<p>

A gasp and the two immediately got away from one another. Jet cleared her throat and Masquerade had a hand rubbing his nape. The younger female said nothing as she went inside the house, humming and opening all the available lights in her wake. She went inside the room that was provided to her and locked it.

There was a moment of silence before the door opened again and she narrowed her eyes at the unmasked blonde. "No funny business, Masky..." she said menacingly. "I'm licensed to use a gun..."

The pair downstairs took a deep breath and shared a laugh. They fell onto the couch, with Masquerade's arm around her shoulders. And before they drifted off, he managed to mumble, "I thought your sister wasn't at legal age yet..."

* * *

><p><strong>So I was looking through the other chapters for references for whatever may have happened to the previous chapters and saw that the MiraxAce came first before this...<strong>

**But meh... Haha! I'm the writer and I do whatever I want... XD**

**Anyway... I have mixed feelings for this chapter too...**

**I feel like Masquerade and Jet's relationship got a bit too speedy... But I'll just have to be more creative with them I guess...**

**Besides... early blossoms always have to face more challenges...**

**Next chapter will be MiraxAce... I'll have to reread stuff... XD**

**Also to the extreme AlicexShun fans, Fabia isn't an object of hate in this fic... She's a very well-kept lady and I think she's had too much hate from those who like the OTP... I put her here as a character to add to the substance of the fic...**

**Anyway, please feel free to click the REVIEW button and feel free to convey your deepest darkest thoughts about the contents of this chapter as it is greatly appreciated by the author.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**chquine_harvinellisse**


	16. Trip down memory lane

Chapter 16

Trip down memory lane

.

"I think you went overboard with this condominium," Mira commented with a shrug of her shoulders as she placed the grocery bags on the counter of her brother's kitchen. Ace was right behind her and he too was carrying a few bags. Ever since the red head decided to extract her revenge on her ex-boyfriend-who-is-now-her-boyfriend-again, everything fell into place quite smoothly. She'd figured it was because of the fact that they were previously involved with one another in the same way; it was easier for them to go back to that role without that much difficulty.

Keith shrugged and said, "I would like my stay here to be as carefree as possible."

"How long?" Ace asked.

"A couple of months," he replied. "I'm not really keen on staying that long, but you know..." he turned meaningfully at Ace who immediately understood.

Mira turned away from them as they started talking about business. She sorted out the groceries and placed them in their respective places. After sorting everything out, she took out two cans of beer and handed it to them. She sat beside Ace who automatically placed his arm across her shoulders. She noted this and chose to rest in his arms.

_Just like old times..._

Once they've finished talking, Mira asked, "What was that about getting lost?"

Keith's eyes mildly widened his eyes at that. "I was using a car then," he explained simply. "You'd be surprised how webbed the network of trains is around here."

"Why didn't you just bring your car with you then?"

"Because I wasn't in the mood to drive around the place..." he shrugged before he crushed his beer can. "I don't see why that should prove to be such an issue to you."

Mira shrugged and stood up. "I'm going home."

"It's your day off isn't it?" Ace inquired and when she nodded, he continued, "I'm going with you."

A brow is raised. "Why?" The red head asked.

He sighed and pulled her in by the waist. "Is it a sin to want to be with you?"

Keith cleared his throat and the two lovebirds immediately separated. He raised a brow and said, "I would appreciate if you don't try anything funny with Mira."

"C'mon boss," Ace grinned. "You'd think I'm that stupid?"

"No, no." Keith waved a hand. "Just a word of warning."

"I don't think he needs to be told twice," Mira grinned evilly. "Was there something you wanted?"

Ace nodded. "Go on a date with me."

Keith cleared his throat again. "You do realize that you can discuss that outside?"

"Yeah sure boss." Ace took her hand and led her off with a wave.

_Well, he never met Keith when we were together before... So I guess this is new..._

When they got outside and onto his motorcycle, she asked, "Where are we going?"

"Someplace you like," he replied as he put on his helmet. Even without seeing his face, she could picture his proud grin that was definitely Ace.

Mira allowed herself a smirk before asking, "Do you even know what I like?"

"Of course."

* * *

><p>They parked at a nearby restaurant that Mira knew all too well.<p>

_This was where we first met..._

And she suspected that this entire trip would be just one big compilation of what they used to do together. Ace was a guy who liked to recycle and she wondered bitterly if he was doing the same with her. Maybe her brother had another trick up his sleeve again?

Nonetheless, the red head removed her helmet and handed it to Ace. She hadn't gone anywhere near this restaurant in two years because no matter how much she said that she was fine, Mira knew that she really harbored some hatred for him and anything that reminded her of him.

"Why here?" She found herself asking.

"They have good food," he shrugged nonchalantly as he took the keys of his motorbike and led her into the entrance. "Besides, I missed the place."

_Well I didn't..._

But she held her tongue for that.

The receptionist guided them to the far back where the lights were dimmed and the tables were polished well. Ace sat across her and just stared at her. Mira shifted uncomfortably in her seat and absently wondered if she should have dressed better for the place. Then again, the mint green-haired male before her looked just as rugged as her.

_Say something before you blush like a schoolgirl!_

"So," she started "How have you been these past two years?"

"Mostly business stuff..." he replied with a tired tint in his voice. "Your brother sure knows how to make others put his priorities on top of their own."

Mira let out a cynical smile. "So I've noticed."

His eyes widened and realizing what she meant, he asked, "You're still bummed about that?"

_Bummed? Oh you have no idea._

"Ace," she started, looking away from him because his eyes have always been her undoing. "You left me in the most horrible way and to be honest, I was a complete wreck when you did. I... You can't blame me for remembering that..."

They're silent for a couple of minutes until their orders arrived. Mira couldn't help but berate herself for saying what she said when obviously he was expecting her to have moved on completely.

_Deep breaths, Mira. You're going to sabotage him when he least expected it._

"Mira," he suddenly said and she looked up at him. The fierce determination in his eyes reminded her of a younger time, when she was a lovesick little girl who believed in everything he said.

_"I'm going to marry you someday," he'd said and it sounded like a promise because she could feel it in the air. "And I'm going to make you the happiest girl there ever will be."_

"I won't be able to make you forget about what I did," he said rather softly and she found it uncharacteristic of him. Ace was outspoken and boisterous; maybe Keith rubbed off on him; maybe he's changed.

_But that doesn't change the fact that... I hate him..._

"But I'll make it up to you. I promise I won't ever make you cry again..." he said resolutely. "I'm a better man now and you deserve nothing less."

_I deserve more than you; that's for sure..._

"I'm willing to give you a second chance," she told him with a smile, one that she only reserved for him.

He reached out across the table to gently grab her hand. "Don't worry. I don't plan on wasting it."

* * *

><p>"I spy something pretty," Ace started as they lay down on the sand at the beach. Mira had avoided this place too during the past two years. Ace had been too fond of stargazing and late night beach walks. Mira had often kept up late but shied away from the stars or her window or anything that would show anything resembling a star.<p>

"Sirius?" She asked innocently and he snorted.

"Out of the million starts you ask that one?"

"It's the brightest one out there right?"

"But couldn't you have said the ursa major or minor?"

"I thought we were talking about stars?" She raised a brow. "Those are constellations."

He opened his mouth to retort, closed it and leaned back against the sand. "Alright you win."

Letting out a chuckle of triumph, Mira started, "I spy," she glanced at him from the corner of her eye, "I spy something green..."

"Palm trees?"

This time she snorted. "Really? That was the best you could guess?"

"Under the circumstances, yes."

"Wrong," she giggled.

"What is it then?"

She sat up and ruffled his fringe. "Your hair."

"Oh," he licked his lips and smiled. "At least you're smiling now."

Mira looked away as she felt her cheeks heat up considerably. "I guess I am, aren't I?"

"That's good," he whispered as he flattened his palm on her cheek and feels relief when she didn't shy away from his touch. "When you cried at me, I thought I wouldn't be able to get the image off my head."

_When I'm done with you, you might not get the image of me laughing over your pathetic tears off your head..._

"There were times that I couldn't sleep because you kept on flashing in my head. Your voice haunted me in my sleep, your smile faded in my dreams... Heck when I was doing stuff in the office I'd get worked up when I saw anything orange..."

She chuckled. It was nice to know that she'd left a big impact on him for the past two years.

"When I saw you, I was so nervous I spouted out nonsense and made you angrier," he continued and Mira listened intently, looking for anything that she could use against him. "But then I decided to just come clean about it."

"And you did," she remarked, amused. "With a phone call and sobbing."

He turned red and whether it's because of embarrassment of the truth or embarrassment of the fact that he sobbed, Mira couldn't tell.

_That can't be true..._

"Yeah well... That was pretty pathetic..." he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

She smiled at him and glanced at her wrist watch. "Well, as much as it was fun to be here with you, I have to get going. I have a shift tomorrow."

"I'll pick you up then," he said eagerly. "I'd like to catch up and stuff..."

Mira chuckled, a genuine amused laugh; one that she'd never thought of releasing in front of Ace.

* * *

><p><em>Haos_Nemus: So how's your revenge plan going?<em>

_SubterraWilda: So far so good... ;) He took me out and I just got home, you know?_

_Haos_Nemus: Oooooh... XD Are you being swayed by him?_

_SubterraWilda: HELL NO! I still plan to make him pay..._

_Haos_Nemus: Okay... okay... XD So you didn't feel anything when he took you out?_

_SubterraWilda: No._

_Haos_Nemus: That was the shortest thing you've ever said..._

_SubterraWilda: Stop reading my mind! ._

_Haos_Nemus: I wasn't saying anything..._

_SubterraWilda: I can do this! I can kick him in the balls and show him how much it hurt when he left me..._

_Haos_Nemus: Okay, okay..._

_SubterraWilda: And you better stick by to hear it all out._

_Haos_Nemus: Haha... Feisty... Well I hope you manage to kill him..._

_SubterraWilda: Believe me... I will..._

* * *

><p><strong>I know I said I was going to update a full cycle the last time I updated but writer's block got to me and between playing Persona 3 Portable, watching videos by YouTubers and all the stuff during my finals plus the fact that I haven't gotten in touch with Bakugan, it was just hard to update...<strong>

**Next up will be Chan's chapter... One of the few that I'm actually excited about... So yeah... I hope I can bring it out soon... But I won't be making any promises...**

**Anyway, please feel free to click the REVIEW button and feel free to convey your deepest darkest thoughts about the contents of this chapter as it is greatly appreciated by the author.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**chquine_harvinellisse**


	17. Burgers and Secrets

Chapter 17

Burgers and Secrets

.

Chan furrowed her brows in concentration as she watched the burgers on the pan as they fried. Every now and then she would crouch at the flame to see if it's still burning and every time she did, she'd see the lack of difference.

_I probably should have called Julie or something before I tried anything else..._

Sighing, Chan went over to the rice cooker and lifted the lid again. No one told her that cooking would be so nerve-wrecking. She'd never tried cooking before. Instant noodles never took _this_ long to cook. She stared at the clock and was torn between wishing that time would go faster and go slower. Deciding to lay off for a while, she went to her chair and picked up a book she was reading previously.

No longer had her back rested on the armrest, Chan bolted out of her couch and went to the kitchen. She checked the burgers and the flame, again.

_Who knew cooking would be so... stressful?_

She was beginning to detest the task and all of its associates. When the burgers smelled about done (she didn't trust her eyes enough), she placed them on a plate and unplugged the rice cooker, seeing that the water's gone dry. This was Mira's forte; not hers. She was better off cutting vegetables and making noodles rather than Western food. Although the red head had insisted that her noodles were far too complicated for her to not handle the simple frying of burgers.

The Chinese girl figured that it was because she kept her hands working while she cooked noodles. Mostly she was in charge of side dishes too and she had more than two pans to take care of on the stove. Plus she'd had some things to chop up, dishes to clean, books to read, tiles to mop and other preposterous things that her step mother had her do. She'd never been resentful of the woman; as a matter of fact, she admired her at some point because her late father had become unbearable during the last days of his life.

She turned to the clock again; it was 9 am. Although she liked to take care of things early, Chan knew when she was too early. Nonetheless, to pass the time, she decided to head to the court. Placing the burgers in the microwave and making sure she'd unplugged the rice cooker, the navy blue-haired female put on her red jacket and her sandals before heading out.

It was cold, considering that summer was just around the corner. The court was full of people like always and she could see that brunette who fought against Runo, Dan, playing with Alice's pseudo-boyfriend, Shun. She sat on the bleachers and watched them as they flung balls into the hoops. Technically, she hadn't spoken to any of them. But perhaps being unknown to them was the best position to watch them be.

She watched them carefully. Dan was shooting hoops and bragging about it every time, when Chan looked at him closely, she could see someone reminiscent of a child being praised by his parents. His peers congratulated him well enough and maybe his immediate response was to smile on it. Leaning her chin to her palm, Chan watched as he made light of every mistake he did; not even an embarrassed flush crept on his face. He was confident; she'll give him that.

The other one, Shun, was silent, but she could tell that he was proud of every hoop he made. He was the type to seemingly ignore praises from his peers and from Dan, but the small smile on his face said otherwise. She deducted that he liked being recognized but tried to make small of it by keeping quiet to it and just smiling vaguely at the people who gave him attention. This brought a smirk to her face.

_He's the silently mocking everyone type..._

Glancing at her wristwatch, Chan saw that it was only 9:30. Thirty more minutes before Joe would arrive.

_But isn't the world a conveniently small place? Maybe his mom will suddenly say that she and my stepmom were friends too..._

Mentally brushing that thought off, Chan decided to keep watching the boys as they played basketball. Suddenly, Shun separated from the rest of them, he went to the benches and picked up his phone. A smile lit his face as he conversed with whoever was at the other side. Briefly, she wondered if he was talking to Alice. Even by watching him, she couldn't tell if he was the type to take things like that seriously, or he was some stuck up rich snob who liked to play with emotions.

Chan was a stranger to romance. She was never dated before and she never wanted to try anyway. Her studies were far more important than the perception of the opposite sex towards her. Alice was the one who seemed the least likely to be single. The red head's inexperience will most likely cause problems with the raven-haired male speaking on his phone. As for Mira, she was a red head too, but she was someone who could hold her own more against that jerk of a man they know as Ace. Runo would be the same and Billy wouldn't want any other than Julie. Sure the silver-haired bubbly girl could be outrageous sometimes, but she was also one of the sweetest and most motherly women she'd met.

When it comes to Jet, the Chinese girl could only tip her hat at the former's ability to maintain a sane and healthy friendship with Alice's older brother.

A hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality. She turned to the source and saw Joe peering at her curiously.

"Did you wait long?" He asked and sounded a bit apologetic.

"No," she replied. Losing yourself to your thoughts wasn't boring to her in the least. She liked it rather. "Shall we?"

He nodded. Her apartment wasn't that far from the court. She liked to watch the people as they passed by; though it sounded like a very boring past time, she found it to be very comforting.

"I didn't know what kind of food you liked so..." she turned away, abashed. "I just... cooked something for you..."

He smiled then and she didn't understand he was so happy. "That sounds nice. What did you cook?"

Chan looked away as she fit the key into the keyhole. "Burgers..."

"Oh," the excitement was evident in his tone and she could only smile at that.

"I must warn you though," she stated as they entered her home and took off her shoes. "This is my first time cooking..."

* * *

><p>They sat at the dining area, sipping tea. Joe had a satisfied look on her face.<p>

"Did you like it?" She asked quietly from her cup of tea.

"Oh yes," he smiled and she thought that he smiled a lot. "It's the first time I ate something a friend made."

_Friend? Shouldn't you be saving that title for someone more... appropriate?_

She safely kept her mouth shut. "Your mother won't be mad at this event, will she?"

Joe shook his head and pointed out, "She doesn't have to know."

Chan smiled softly. "Geez... Are you always this reckless?"

"Mostly when my mom isn't looking. She worries about me too much," he replied. "It makes me feel sometimes that I'm not a man..."

"She's just worried," she stated rather knowingly. "She did say that you were rather sickly."

He turned silent and a frown was blatant on his face. "Yeah well... I still wish she'd give me a chance every now and then. When you met me, I was being bullied. I think it was pretty pathetic of me to be bullied like that."

"People have their own strengths," she shrugged. "Having weakness in one area doesn't make you less of a person."

He gave her a bitter smile. "My strength is supposed to be money, is that what you mean?"

"You're the only one who can say what that is," she replied casually. "And it'll be limited only if you want it to be."

Joe stared at her for a moment before his face split to another childish grin. "You're an unusually uplifting person, Miss Chan."

The addressed female wrinkles her nose. "Chan is fine..." she waves a dismissive hand. "I'd feel awkward if you went around school calling me like that..."

"Chan then," he puts his cup down. "Since we're friends now-,"

"Whoever said that we're friends?"

"I did," he replied. "Just now."

Chan rolled her eyes. She didn't believe in economical and social class divisions, but it's too true and tangible for her to deny anymore; it didn't help that people kept on emphasizing it. The Chinese girl wasn't one to advocate her beliefs to other people anyway.

"Anyway," Joe rolled his shoulders. "Since we're friends now, I'd like you to help me keep more secrets from my mother from now on."

"You have a very misguided definition for 'friends'," she stated. As a side note, she added, "And I'm very intent on keeping my scholarship, if you won't mind..."

"I never said I'd let you lose it," he said. "You're a frank and honest person with the perfect amount of nonchalance: you don't care that I'm rich and the only thing you care about is my mom."

"You mom happens to be an influential person."

"And I happen to be her son."

Silence fell on them before Chan spoke up to clarify the situation. "In other words," she started slowly, words tumbling out of her mouth with ease despite the situation she's in. "You want me to tolerate your... secrets?"

"I want you to be a part of them," Joe grinned. "But yeah to an extent, I want you to tolerate them."

She mulled over his words carefully. It wasn't like she's a stranger to breaking the rules; she's just rather anxious about it. Especially since the woman they were going to have secrets from was the one in charge of her scholarship. Despite that fact, she was rather excited to do something dangerous.

"As long as you don't aggravate whatever medical condition you have," Chan started firmly. "I'll be a... an accomplice to you..."

The brunette tilted his head. "Accomplice? I said friend, didn't I?"

The Chinese girl stretched out her hand and said, "To my friend and the many secrets we will make."

Her words seem to go fine by him and he shook her hand.

"To the many secrets we'll make."

* * *

><p><strong>I don't know what I did here... XD<strong>

**Mostly I was watching Fairy Tail while doing this chapter and reading 'A Storm of Swords' by George Martin... So yeah it's probably not as coherent as I wanted it to be but the cow has been milked... XD**

**I think I'm making this pairing's progress go slow because they're the most canon pair I ship real bad... Chan is my favorite character in the series because who doesn't like a kung-fu-ing girl in Chinese clothing? Next up will be Dan-Runo... Hopefully I can post it within the next two days cause we're going back home to the place of no internet...**

**Anyway, please feel free to click the REVIEW button and feel free to convey your deepest darkest thoughts about the contents of this chapter as it is greatly appreciated by the author.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**chquine_harvinellisse**


	18. Crash and Burn

**I have decided to completely disregard the sequence...**

* * *

><p>Chapter 18<p>

Crash and Burn

.

Mira stared at her reflection in the mirror. Mostly she looked nice and presentable, but she couldn't tell if she wanted it to be that way or something else. She didn't want to disappoint her brother but she didn't want to meet Ace's expectations either.

_Either way, if I look presentable to Keith, I'll probably look presentable to Ace too..._

Sighing, the red head took her purse and checked the message from Runo. She'd sent a message to the manager, informing her of her inability to go to work due to some gathering her brother's client set up for them. As a integral part in both Keith and Ace's lives, she was invited as well. That's why she's wearing this white strapless gown and matching pumps. Mira was no stranger to such formalities as it came with the family name, but it had been a long time since she last wore something as lavish as this.

_I was probably around ten back then..._

Back then, her father hadn't been so occupied with the number of clients; their family was a considerably small name back then. Professor Clay hadn't completely immersed himself in his work yet as the weight of his wife's untimely death still perturbed him. When he'd found out that his wife's memory no longer plagued him when he worked, the man decided to devote all of his time to making their family a worthy equivalent of the Gehabichs, who used to be the biggest technological empire.

Shaking her head, Mira headed to her door, stepped out, locked it with her keys and proceeded to the lobby. Ace told her that he'd wait for her.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure I should be wearing this?"<p>

Runo stared at herself in the mirror. Her hair wasn't in its usual twin-tails and for some inexplicable reason, it's curled and soaked with hair spray.

Or perhaps soaked is too grand of a word.

_No. It's definitely soaked..._

Alice was behind her, wearing a bathrobe and a slightly anxious look on her face. "You should be used to this by now," the red head reasoned out.

Runo was clad in a form-fitting halter dress. It was royal blue in color and the sequins lit up in sporadic intervals when hit by the light. The dark hue contrasted her skin and her hair. The dress reached to her knees at the front but reached to her ankles at the back. She opted to wear stockings because she was uncomfortable with showing her bare skin. But she had yet to decide whether the bare skin or the fact that she's wearing a pair of wedges that match her dress was worse. "You're used to dressing up, Alice," she pointed out, cringing a bit when the red head plucked one of her wayward eyebrows.

"Don't you dress up everyday at work?"

_She had a point there..._

"B-but s-s-still," Runo stammered as Alice plucked another eyebrow. "I mean-," a growl came out of her throat and was rewarded with a stern look from the red head before her. "I don't like these kinds of things." She fiddled with the hem of her dress.

Alice gave her friend a sympathetic look. "I can imagine the horror, but you'll have to get used to it. Sure, the café isn't as big as the entire Marakura industries, but when it does you'll have to go to stuff like these..."

The blue-haired female sighed. "W-well a-a-at least I-I-I h-h-have you h-h-here..."

The Russian girl smiled at her suddenly shy friend. "You'll be fine." She then picked up the sponge and the concealer. "So then," she started as she craned her neck from side to side and felt relieved with the subtle pop, "Shall we begin applying make up?"

Whatever smile Runo had was replaced by an immaculate frown.

* * *

><p>Jet sighed in exasperation as she was handed another five hangers with dresses and not summer dresses that she'd been used to wearing, but flat out, pain-in-the-ass <em>fancy <em>dresses.

It didn't help that her sister was already outside and merely waiting. Chaq had been easy to convince and she settled for a Gothic Lolita dress. The most surprising part was that Masquerade actually consented to it. Her exasperation gave way to confusion and doubt as the blonde's face popped into her mind.

_Sure we've come to terms to-, it's still frustrating..._

Shaking off those thoughts, Jet decided to take the violet one. If Chaq was getting away with a black dress fit for cosplay then she would get away with something dark as well. She took it off the hanger and put it on her, clothes and all. It was actually pretty nice. A plain racer-back violet dress with a silver brooch on the left shoulder area. It reached to her ankles and accentuated her hips. The slits on both sides won't prove to be that much of a problem since they were relatively low on the danger zone.

_I guess this could do..._

"Chaq," she called out to her sister. "Do you think this size fits me?" She opened the curtain and was surprised to see Masquerade sitting where her sister was supposed to be.

_Where did that girl run off to now?_

"She said she was going to meet with someone at the ice cream parlor," the blonde said with a dismissive wave before his eyes focused on her. "Shouldn't you take off your shirt underneath? Clothes like that are better when they fit snugly."

The brunette before him blushed. "Wh-what are you talking about?"

He smirked and she knew she'd been had. "My, my, Jet... I didn't know you had those kinds of thoughts. There was nothing suggestive in what I said anyway."

Said female shook her head vigorously. "At least I don't bribe others with petty things like ice cream..."

"If I did then your sister would've been the shallow one. She was the one who took the ice cream bait."

_He has a point there..._

Masquerade sighed and said, "I don't know about your sister, but she _did _say something about meeting someone."

"Who on earth would she know here?" She asked rhetorically before waving a hand. Her sister knew where Masquerade lived anyway and no matter how many locks the owner of the house used to keep her from it, she would always find a way: a hidden passage, a window, or even plain asking the landlord for the key. "I'll just get this," she informed the masked blonde before her. "Do you plan to wear that mask though?"

"Hm? Of course," Masquerade replied. "It's how people know I'm Michael's grandson."

She shrugged and took off the dress. "It's a surprise no one has tried to imitate you yet, or asked about why you wear your mask all the time..."

"They know better," he looked away. His eyes were a touchy subject. While Jet was unlike any of them who judged him so unfairly, it was still a bit of a stretch when it came to other people.

Jet suddenly became silent. "So... why are you bringing me and Chaq along?"

"I need your sister to keep the night from being boring," he replied and stood up, a crystal hair ornament in hand. From her position, the brunette couldn't make out what it was; all she could see was that it reflected the light quite perfectly. "And I need you there," he started "because you happen to be the most interesting person in my eyes."

* * *

><p>Chan stepped into the threshold of the Brown rest house as the butler went off to fetch the mistress of the house.<p>

_I still don't understand why she wanted me here..._

"Hello there, Chan." Helena's voice came from the stairs. The older woman glided down the stairs with the grace of an excited toddler. "I'm so glad you came! I'm sorry if it's short notice."

"It's quite alright Mrs. Brown," Chan smiled. "Most of the employees are out too so we don't have much to do today."

"Oh that's wonderful. You see," the older woman led her to the upper floor where she was from. "There's a gathering at that hotel just within the vicinity and Joe and I have been invited as honorary guests. I can't make it there because today's my husband's death anniversary."

"That's alright," Chan found herself saying. Whether or not Helena Brown knew of her affection to her father wasn't a big deal to her. She would go if it meant that the other party would have some form of closure, she would gladly give way. "Although I'm not as adept in social gatherings as you might think."

"Oh don't worry," Helena waved a hand as she opened the door of a room. "They're not as grand as you think. And I've prepared an appropriate piece of clothing for you."

At the middle of the room is a mannequin dressed in an elaborate cheongsam, making Chan's eyes widen in surprise.

_She planned this all along didn't she?_

"I hope you don't mind," Helen gushed, excited. "I had the best seamstress approximate your measurements and I had that done in less than a day."

"May I ask with what you approximated my measurements?" The Chinese girl timidly asked.

"No."

_What kind of secrets does this family have?_

"I'd go with Joe tonight; I really would," Helena said in a somber tone. "But his dad would be so lonely. I know I'm kind of neglecting my son, but..."

She didn't like seeing people cry. "It's alright Mrs. Brown. I'm sure a night with the upper class people won't be so bad..."

The woman smiled at her fondly, eyes shinning with tears. "Oh Chan, just because they're richer doesn't make them any better than you. You're smart and bright and I can tell you know how to handle your money better than they can..."

Chan smiles at Helena and says, "Thank you, Mrs. Brown."

"If they do or say anything that could undermine you, you have my permission to kick their sorry butts."

The Chinese girl promptly decided that she liked this older brunette. "I'll be sure to have fun and drag Joe along."

"Please do," Helena nodded. "He's a rather lonely boy."

* * *

><p>"Did you wait long?" Shun asked casually.<p>

"No," Alice replied just as coldly as she stepped into the passenger's seat and waited as he slammed the door shut. When Shun came around and sat on his respective side of the car, the red head shifted as far as she could from the driver's seat.

The amber-eyed male beside her noted this and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she lied.

_You just happened to kiss your ex-girlfriend right in front of me..._

But now that she thought about it, she should have told him. She should have let him know that she'd seen him kiss Fabia Sheen out in the open.

_No. I wasn't wrong... He's the one who was wrong... How could he forget her if he kisses her anyway?_

"I want you to smile when we get there," he instructed. "Fabia will be there."

"Is that why you wanted me to come with you?"

He didn't reply and Alice thought about just leaving there and then. She didn't like this anymore. Were all men so dense? She wondered if she made a mistake by asking him to pose as her pseudo-boyfriend.

At the moment, the Russian red head wanted nothing more than to be frank like her brother or brave like any other female from her workplace. She stayed stock still and didn't even register that the car hadn't moved since they got in.

Shun cut in her thoughts. "I'm sorry," he started. "You saw me with Fabia didn't you?"

This time it was her who was silenced.

"Sorry," he sighed and rested his hands on the steering wheel. "I don't know I just-,"

"You still love her," she chuckled at the stupidity of her statement. "Of course you still love her; we wouldn't be in this situation if you don't want to get over her."

He scoffed. "I see you actually know how to talk."

She sulked in her seat, determined to keep from talking to him the whole night.

* * *

><p>The venue was a large place: five different rooms to accommodate most of the guests. Each room had its own buffet table and a minstrel band to keep them occupied. The organizers of the event wanted to make sure that some of the opposing businesses didn't get to see each other and strategically placed them in separate rooms. Given the size of the intricate web spun by numerous families and their industries, five rooms was nearly not enough.<p>

Thankfully the date had been announced later rather than sooner, so most of the guests had to deny the obligatory invitation.

"I don't understand why people bother planning these events," Mira sighed as she spoke to no one in particular but also pointedly at her boyfriend, Ace.

"To keep appearances," he explained. "When you're a rich family and you have a successful business empire, you'd want to rub it on other people's faces without them knowing so you won't offend them."

She scoffed, tugging her shawl back onto her shoulder. "I don't think that's possible."

"Why not?"

"Because rubbing your achievements into someone else's face is offensive in itself."

"You two seem to be having fun," Keith stated as he approached the table in his iridescent indigo suit and red tie. In his hand was a glass of champagne and his smile suggested a number of things. "Am I interrupting?"

Immediately Mira composed herself and cleared her throat.

_Get it together, Mira!_

"No," she replied. "Ace here was talking about how events like these aren't supposed to be offensive."

"Well if he's educating you about that," Keith said as he sat down on the empty seat beside Ace, "Then I guess you are having fun."

She rolled her eyes. "This is the dullest thing I've been to so far."

"So you say," Keith raised his glass condescendingly before they elapsed into silence. Mira leaned her head against Ace's shoulder and he gently patted the side of her head, careful enough to keep her hair from getting tousled. Keith glanced at her with a knowing look in his eyes and she just stuck her tongue out at him.

"Do you want anything, Mira?" Ace suddenly asked. "I'm going to head to the table to get something."

"Yeah sure," she replied vaguely. "I uh... I think I'll settle for some punch first..."

Nodding, the mint green-haired male stood up and headed to the table. Keith turned to his sister, swirling the champagne in his glass. "You know, you're doing a bad job of hiding it."

Not knowing what her brother meant, the red head asked curiously, "Hiding what?"

He gave her a pointed look. "Mira, don't play dumb; you're not dumb and you most certainly don't look like one."

"You could mean a lot of things," she said instead. "So I want to know which you mean."

"I must admit; it's suspicious the way you were so eager to get back to him." The blonde started. "But I suppose that's a bit natural. Are you sure you should torment him by acting as if you don't enjoy his company?"

"It's not his company that I don't enjoy," Mira defended. "It's this party that I don't enjoy."

A smile that reached his eyes was painted on Keith's face. "Good. I'll leave you to him then."

His sister became frantic. "Wh-where are you going?"

"There's an investor in the other room and I plan to win him over."

"Don't you need Ace for that?" She didn't want to be left with him for extended periods of time. She found herself increasingly self-conscious around him and constantly she had to check if she'd be saying something that would give her plans away.

"Ace is the man I need when we make the papers for the deal," he smiled gently at her, a smile that she recalled from her days as a girl. "Don't worry; you can spend time with him longer..."

The words died at her throat when her brother completely left the table. Ace came shortly and handed her a glass of punch while he munched on some cheese sauce-covered nachos.

_Typical Ace..._

"I see the corporate world hasn't changed your love for nachos yet..." she told him jokingly as she took a sip of the punch, noting that it was slightly spiked. She'd have to be careful about consuming that.

"Nothing changes in the corporate world," he stared at her, dead in the eyes and smiled that smile that she knew was only for her.

"Are you still talking about the nachos or something else?" She asked uneasily.

"A lot of things."

And then he leaned in and kissed her full on the lips. A passing old woman and her son were passing by the table and she gave them a disgusted look; mentioned something about shameless teenagers.

* * *

><p>"Where's Chaq?"<p>

Masquerade looked around and said, "She said she'd come here first."

"Are you sure you didn't dump my sister somewhere?" Jet narrowed her painted eyes at him.

"She'd be more trouble than that idea's worth," he shot back. "I'll go have someone look for her."

That eased her nerves because when Masquerade said that he'd do something, he really would. They sat down and she stared at the room. The walls were covered with a velvet red finishing. The floor was made purely out of marble and the tables were made of dark wood, but still covered by a pure white tablecloth. At the center of every table was a glass vase of a white chrysanthemum, glistening with dew. Upon closer inspection, Jet found out that the flower was artificial.

"Are we the only ones on this table?" She asked the blonde beside her.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Granddad won't be here. I'm the only Gehabich here."

"Well since you _are_ the grandson, I think that would be natural." She smiled as she sat down and sighed at the itch around her eyes. As much as spending time with Masquerade was fun, she couldn't help but think about her sister. Who new what kind of horrific mafia Japan had in store for them.

"Look, your sister will be fine. I've sent someone to look for her and they're beginning their search right now," Masquerade squeezed her shoulder and he didn't seem to be fazed by the bare contact with her skin. It made her jump a bit and caused him to smirk.

"Why? Are you still uneasy?" He asked as he leaned close to her. "What do I have to do to keep you from feeling so apart from me?"

She blushed shamelessly before a man took to the center and picked up the microphone. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us here. We appreciate that you took time from your occupied schedules to indulge us in this humble gathering. We hope you enjoy tonight's festivities."

"Who's this 'we'?" Jet leaned towards her companion to whisper.

"Other rich people who live here in Japan," he replied casually back.

The man bowed and continued off to the side. The buffet was opened and Jet allowed him to head there first. She sat and drank in the scenery before her. Before Masquerade decided to pick her up from her dorm, the only gathering she'd ever been to was for marathon runners like her and even then she hadn't worn anything as fancy as what she was wearing.

Masquerade came back with two plates of waffles drenched in maple syrup and she raised a brow. "Breakfast?" She asked.

"They offered it," he shot back. "I'm not about to ask why they have waffles here."

She accepted the plate and took a bite. It was perfect. The syrup wasn't too sweet and the waffle was just fluffy to the point it was heavenly. Jet was sure there was a goofy grin on her face.

"You like it?" He asked her.

"It's heavenly..." she sighed dreamily.

"And you were complaining about waffles..." he muttered under his breath.

She lightly punched his shoulder when a graying old man approached their table. "Master Gehabich, it's good to see you," the man stated formally.

"Mr. Taika," Masquerade nodded and bowed to him respectfully. "I trust that business is going well?"

"Ah yes," the older male nodded with a jovial smile. "It's all thanks to your grandfather. I think it's a pity that your sister didn't marry into the von Hertzon family."

Masquerade shrugged. "Alice can do as she wants..."

The old man's eyes settled on her and asked, "Is she your wife?"

Immediately, Jet's face turned bright pink. "Ah, no." Masquerade replied and the brunette found herself eager to hear what he was going to say.

_That's stupid Jet... Stop looking forward to his answer..._

"She's a very dear friend of mine," he continued. "And that won't be changing anytime soon..."

* * *

><p>Alice had been obligated to hold onto Shun's arm while they walked through the halls. The entire ride to the venue had been so tense, she had to listen to whatever catchy song was on the radio to keep her mind off things. She would glimpse at him now and then. He was wearing a crisp black suit and a forest green tie.<p>

"Smile," he instructed her.

_I look like a kid in this ensemble..._

She was wearing a white strapless dress with lace sleeves that flared at the end and connected to both of her middle fingers. On her feet were high-heeled gladiator shoes that fit snugly to her thighs. The dress in itself was quite simple but since it reached to her knees and her hair was put up in an obligatory bun; finished with white ornaments resembling an angel's wings, she felt like she dressed inappropriately for the occasion.

_Just bear with it, Alice... It's a good thing Runo and the others aren't here._

They stopped in front of an opened pair of double doors. An usher led them inside and to their seats. "The buffet table is now open. Please help yourselves."

The pair nodded before the red head slipped her arm off Shun's. The male glanced at her momentarily before looking away.

_Why am I even with this guy?_

Instantly, she reminded herself that she should just bear with it. They're both gaining benefits from this false relationship anyway. She couldn't complain.

_But is it really okay? He said he was sorry but..._

From the corner of her eye she spotted something golden and when she turned, there stood Fabia Sheen in a fish-tail dress with a sweetheart neckline. It was pale gold in color and shimmered when the lights from the chandelier touched it. Her eyes were outlined with thin black strokes and she wore minimal make up. Around her neck was a slender golden band and her armlets matched.

Shun's fist visibly tensed on his lap and immediately, Alice wanted to be somewhere else; somewhere far from these two people who can't get it together.

_Just bear with it Alice..._

Thankfully for her, Fabia didn't look their way but that seemed to annoy the male beside her even more. She decided to just keep quiet. Nothing good will come out of fanning the flame of Shun's anger.

"Damn..." Shun cursed under his breath. "Why the hell do I still care whether or not she's looking my way?"

Alice bit her lip. The answer was simple; he just chose to deny it.

"You love her," she said silently as she stood up and headed for the restroom.

_Who knows? Maybe when I come back he'll admit that to himself... Maybe they'll even be together again..._

She stopped immediately and paused in the middle of the hallway.

_What do I do about Klaus then?_

* * *

><p>"Thank you..." Runo smiled gratefully at the driver of the car owned by the Marakura family. She would've gone with Alice, but the red head's pseudo-boyfriend obligated her to go with him. She allowed her friend, but if she were to be honest, the red head looked rather scared.<p>

_Don't worry... I can do this... Just remember what Alice said... Smile, be polite and try not to trip on your shoes..._

"Stupid tie... Stupid shoes... Stupid... ugh!"

Turning to the source of the familiar voice, Runo saw Dan fiddling with his tie. He looked rather different without his goggles, but his hair and his eyes and his manner of talking gave him away.

"Well aren't you in the wrong side of town?" She commented snidely.

"Oh shut up. You aren't one to talk," he shot back while still trying to successfully finish his tie. "Dammit!" Dan growled in exasperation. "Who cares about this stupid tie anyway?"

Rolling her eyes, she decided to walk towards him. "Keep still, you baby!" She chided and accentuated with a hit to the head by the back of her palm. "I can't believe you never learned how to make a tie."

"I can't believe you were invited here."

"Hey, it's not my fault Marucho's parents adopted me 'kay?"

"Then it's not my fault I don't know how to do a stupid tie!"

She glared at him and he glared back. Runo didn't mind that it was completely weird that they were standing right in front of the venue and just glaring at each other. He broke away first and she resumed fixing his tie with a clear of her throat. Dan was fidgeting and she could see that with the way he fiddled his fingers every now and then.

Stepping back, the blue-haired female announced, "There. I fixed your tie. Can we go in now?"

He stared at the tie and patted it, as if making sure it was there. Afterwards he smiled and said, "Yeah sure. Marucho asked me to go with you or something..."

"Oh," she blurted out blandly. It was just like her adopted brother to think about her well-being first before actually asking her if it was well for her being.

_Being with Dan here might not be the best idea, Marucho..._

"Don't you have other people to be with?" She asked instead. Runo might be frank but she prided herself in trying to keep from being offensive when the situation didn't call for it. "I mean, we aren't really-,"

"Hey, Marucho's my buddy... Plus I think you're a pretty cool person..." his face brightened for a moment before he turned embarrassed. "Or you already have someone else to go with you?"

She blinked.

_Is he... blushing? Or is it just the neon pink lights coming from the sign?_

"Oh no... Alice went with that guy..."

"Shun..."

"Yeah Shun..."

There was silence.

"So, let's go?" Dan extended a hand.

Huffing but flashing a smile all the same, she extended her arm, causing him to laugh and they went off to the inside.

* * *

><p><em>This is incredibly boring...<em>

As if to agree with her, Joe yawned. "I never liked parties like these," he said dully. "It's a good thing you're here with me."

She turned to him with a wry smile. "Shouldn't you be making sure that your business gets continued or something?" She asked.

"Nah," Joe crossed his arms behind his back. "I plan to take care of the tech department. It's been pretty neglected these days."

"What does your family do anyway?"

"Didn't mom tell you?"

She stared at him incredulously and he raised his hands in mock surrender. "Our most prominent feature is the travel agency. Mom takes care of that a lot. We have a small electronics area that's pretty much neglected at the moment. I plan to slowly take care of it when I graduate."

"That's a noble effort," she said with a smile.

"What about you? What do you plan to do when you graduate?"

"I plan to go get some work maybe and just go somewhere from there."

"What you're not planning to go to college?"

"High school's already tough as it is," her shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. "I could work first and then save up for college."

"Or I could help you with things," he offered.

"That would be too much," she said with a soft smile. "I mean your mom's helping me now and-,"

"My mom has me to spend it all on and I'd rather have it spent on you," he interrupted. "I don't need much."

She stared at him strangely. "Is this one of those secret friend dealings we had a few days ago?"

He leaned back against the back of the chair and said, "No. This is an entirely different thing. So, dinner?"

Chan looked around. No one paid them any attention and the buffet table was teeming with hungry people. "You can go on ahead," she told him. "I'll stay here for a while."

Nodding, he stood up. Joe looked taller in his gray suit and purple tie. Chan didn't look so bad with her cheongsam and her hair was pleated to the middle and parted. Helena was a good hairdresser too. She waited in silence until a silver-haired male approached her. Unlike the others who wore the traditional coat and tie, this one had a dress code all on his own; complete with a white cravat to complete his dress shirt of purple and lavender with gold linings. His trousers had a loose fit on his legs and his brown boots matched them. He looked very much like a snug rich kid, but she had to confirm that yet.

"Hello there. I don't believe I've seen you here before," he spoke smoothly, as if women swooned over his mere way of talking. "I suppose the Japanese community is more hospitable than I thought."

The end of her lip curled in a smirk. "I happen to be of Chinese descent."

His eyes lit up there and then. "Ah, a learned one, I see. My name is Klaus von Hertzen," he introduced grandly, placing his right hand to his left chest area and bowed. She then thought if she was supposed to know what that means because he turned to her expectantly before straightening up. "May I know your name?"

"No you may not." It wasn't because she didn't like him, though that much was true. She didn't see the need for petty introductions when this world was completely foreign to her. Plus if it weren't for her husband's death anniversary, Helena would be here and conversing with the other corporate people.

But instead of being annoyed, Klaus chuckled. "While I believe anonymity is a necessity in your line of work, I must insist on knowing your name."

_Line of work? Does he think I'm one of the people here?_

"I think you're mistaken," she started in a level-headed tone. "I don't work here."

He looked confused. "How did you get in then?" Before she could say anything more, he asked, "Did you come here with somebody?"

Chan turned a questioning brow. "Yes."

But her answer seemed to spurn him. "In that case," he shook his hair from his eyes and continued, "I suppose I can arrange for your transfer to my suite. I checked in here this morning for the sole purpose of beauties like you."

It finally dawned on her and she sent him a snide chuckle. "You think I'm a prostitute?"

He frowned as her voice dripped of rejection and sarcasm. "In this country, you are called geishas, aren't you?"

"She's not a geisha, Klaus," Joe's voice cut smoothly between them. "She's a friend of mine who's coming in my mother's stead."

"A business associate?" The silver-haired male clarified with a frown.

"No," the brunette shook his head. "She's just a friend. And I would appreciate it if you don't try to make a prostitute out of her."

"She should have told me so," Klaus fixed his cravat, a frown marred on his face. "I have other places to be at."

"I'm sure you do, Klaus; I'm sure you do..." Joe nodded condescendingly as the other male left.

"I had no idea he took me for a hooker," Chan said distastefully.

Joe resumed his place beside her and said, "Believe me, if he didn't think you were, he would've tried to make you."

"That's his business specialty?" She asked and turned to the male beside her.

"No," he shrugged as he rolled some pasta around his fork and ate it. "His family is mainly responsible for luxury condominiums all over the world and that makes him think that he's such a man."

Chan smirked and said, "He's pretty girly if you ask me."

"Don't tell him that though," Joe warned with a slight chuckle.

* * *

><p>"There," Ace pointed discreetly at a woman wearing a revealing red dress and large hooped earrings. "She's uh... twenty-nine, single and has managed to scare off every man brave enough to be her father's son-in-law."<p>

Mira scoffed. "She looks younger than that." And she earned a disdainful look from Ace.

"You try then," he challenged.

Confidently, she smiled and pointed to the man beside the lady he made a story out of. He was young-looking and he smiled rather charmingly. It was a boyish kind of charm rather than a manly one. "He's in his mid-twenties, I think," she started. "Total charmer; he sweeps off the feet of every female he breathes his name to."

"That's a bit of an overstatement, don't you think?"Ace interrupted and got silenced by a finger to his lips.

"Hush," she reprimanded. "So, he's never taken a relationship seriously. His father's rich-,"

"Obviously."

She glared at him and continued, "And that's the reason, he thinks why women swoon at the sound of his name. Deep inside though, he's a hopeless romantic and he really wants to find that girl who sees through the name."

"Yeah well," he started, "He's found a girl... I just don't know if she," he made quotation marks with his fingers, ""Sees through the name"."

"You know him?" She asked incredulously.

"Yeah," he nodded. "His dad is a major shareholder of a spice production company. Their business rarely goes low because who doesn't need spices? He's engaged to some middle-class girl he impregnated when he was in high school."

"Wow you know a lot, don't you?" She teased as she poked his head with a finger.

"He's a potential partner in the future," Ace shrugged. "I have to know what I can Otherwise, your brother might fire me."

Mira scoffed. She knew how much Ace was worth to their company and she dared not think about what could happen if her brother fired Ace. "He would never fire you. You're his most valuable employee."

"You could easily take my place," he pointed out. "You learn fast. I had to sit in front of tutors for two years just so I can scratch the surface of all this business stuff..."

She shrugged. "Let's continue playing. It's your turn right?"

He nodded and stared off into the distance. "She's a beauty," he started abruptly.

"What? You're supposed to point at who you're making a story about," she reprimanded.

"Well this time, you look around and I'm going to make up a story about someone," he said and gestured right in front of them. "She's a beauty."

Mira scoffed there and then. "Don't you say that to every girl in existence."

"Only to this girl," he replied and something swelled in Mira.

_No. Get it together Mira! He's playing you!_

"She's pretty rich, but she likes to live away from all of that," he continued.

Rolling her eyes, the red head asked, "That sounds like a really boring story..."

He ignored her. "She's a nice person, but when provoked she's got some really mean claws."

_Why is he talking continuously? He sounds extremely sure about it..._

"I like her... a lot..."

A feeling of dread passes through her. Is he trying to embarrass her? Did he come back just to rub what he's got in replacement for her? An awful twisting seized her stomach and she asked curtly, "Are you done? Can I guess now?"

"I don't know," he looked straight into her eyes and she couldn't comprehend how his eyes are a lovely shade of gray. "Can you guess who it is?"

Quickly, Mira scanned the room and pointed at the first girl she saw. "Is it my turn now?"

"Nope," he shook his head before he resumed eye-contact with her. "You didn't guess right, so you don't get a turn. Guess again..."

She looked around and noticed in dismay that there weren't any other females in the room. "Either she's not here or you're making stuff up," she said coldly.

"Look again," he told her and found herself gazing directly into his eyes. "Who was I talking about, Mira?"

She found herself shying away from him, as if his mere presence burned her. "How would I know?"

He chuckled in a low voice. "Do I really have to point it out to you?"

"I would be gaping at you if I knew right?" She shot back.

The music played by the string band started to slow and people slowly went to the middle to dance. Ace stood up, a grin on his face and he extended his hand to Mira. "May I have this dance?"

She didn't miss a beat. She took his hand almost as immediately as he asked. He led her to the middle and rested his hands on her waist, while she begrudgingly wrapped her arms around his neck.

_I don't think we've ever danced before..._

The thought of doing something new with him, made her giddy like a little girl.

_No! Get it together Mira! You're not here to tie the knot with him! You're here to show him how it feels like to have your heart broken._

"Who else could be more beautiful than you?" He asked with a genuine smile.

Before she could come up with an acceptable retort, Ace pulled her into his chest and sniffed at her hair. Again her heart beat faster and she tried to stop it.

_No... He's playing you Mira... He played you once before and he'll do it again..._

But she couldn't bring herself to even completely admit that claim. When he encircled his arms around her and pressed a kiss on the crown of her head, she could've sworn she swooned like a little girl in her mind. She found herself burying her face into his chest and inhaling a generous amount of the scent she hadn't smelled in two whole years. All thoughts of hate from then evaded her and she just wanted to stay in his embrace for as long as she could. Whether or not she admits it, she missed him; she missed him to the point that she was willing to set aside her plan for revenge.

_For now... I'll stay in your embrace for now... Tomorrow, I'll go back to being the Mira who hates you... But for now... I'll be weak and enjoy this..._

She didn't admit it out loud, but she failed at trying to keep herself from having fun.

And even more so when he leaned down and whispered into her ear, "I love you, Mira."

* * *

><p>Runo covered her mouth as she belched rather loudly as if that could actually erase what she just did. But Dan stared at her funnily.<p>

"I probably shouldn't have done that," she fiddled with her fingers. "It's bad manners isn't it?"

Dan looked away without asking and downed his fizzy drink. He held up a hand and after a few moments, he belched loudly and some older males actually gave him a disapproving look. The brunette turned to the girl beside him and grinned, "See? It wasn't a big deal."

"I don't think they'll do anything against you," she comments flippantly. "I mean you don't look like someone they can stop so easily."

"Ouch," Dan clutches his chest in mock hurt and says, "I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

She shrugs and says, "That's your problem."

_**Friends? Perhaps a possibility  
><strong>_

_**'Round them lies haven't mobility**_

_**They see through the pretend and fake**_

Runo then turned to him and asked, "So, do you come to these things often?"

"Nah," he replied. "I try to keep it to a minimum... I'd rather be playing a video game at home."

She kept silent about that because she didn't think it'd be nice to admit out loud that she's into the same thing. "But don't you have to inherit your family business or something?"

"Well you close deals inside an office and not in a party like this," he gestured at the buffet table where the punch was. "People here are either drunk or uninterested, like me..."

Runo smiled at that. "Well what do you know? You're not so stupid after all?"

Dan frowned at the playful tone she used. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing..." she drew out the vowel as the brunette's face turned a bit reddish. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a middle-aged man approaching the table. He smiled amiably at them. "Good evening. I believe you're Daniel Kuso?"

"Yeah," Dan stood up and offered his hand. The older male took it in his and they shook hands. "You are?"

"Oh," the older male started and retracted his hand from the younger one. "I have no business with you. I was told that the representative of the Marakura family would be with you."

This didn't seem to offend him. Runo stood up and said, "My name is Runo Marakura. Is there anything you need?"

"Ah yes well," his smile widened. "There is something of importance that we must talk about." He glanced at Dan then back to Runo. "I hope we can speak in private."

Blinking, the blue-haired manager thought for a while before standing up and gesturing outside. "I'll be back," she told Dan. But she couldn't tell if she was assuring him or assuring herself. Nonetheless, he nodded and sat back with every indication of patience.

The older male led her to the balcony. "I'm sorry I forgot to introduce myself," he started. "My name is Adam. I'm one of the principal partners of your father."

"Step-father," she corrected him and slightly, she hoped that it would be enough to make him lose interest in her, but he only smiled.

"Yes, I am aware that you're not his natural-born daughter." Adam nodded. "But since you are the representative of the Marakura family, I thought I'd still let you know about certain circumstances surrounding your family."

The word 'circumstances' made her a bit uneasy. It had been a long time since her father told her anything about the family business. Mostly, he'd told her about the places they went to or how they were doing. But he rarely, if never, talked about anything concerning the family business.

"What about?" She asked as politely as she could, trying to push down whatever worry she had.

Adam gazed into the distance while leaning on the railing. Already Runo could feel impatient and uneasy. "You are aware of the corporate world, aren't you?"

"Yes," she said, but would have rolled her eyes at that and just told him to get to his point.

"There are times when marriage is necessary for securing a deal," he narrated. "And your father was against your brother's marriage to one of my prospects in a certain merger..."

Runo kept silent and waited for him to continue.

"Your family needs that merger more than we do," he told her. "And I suppose a sensible young lady like you will understand."

She sighed. "My father hasn't told me anything about the family business needing anything. And because I am a step-daughter, I don't have the right to make any decisions that could involve the entire family business."

"That family business," he cut in "Could disappear any moment if you don't act quickly."

Runo shrugged. "The only thing he gave me freedom to is my café. I don't think it'd be right to extend further than that." Before the man could say anything more, she bowed to him respectfully before heading back inside. Dan was still waiting for her, but at the back of her mind, she wondered if she did the right thing.

* * *

><p>Alice entered the stall, locked the door, put down the lid of the toilet and sat on it.<p>

_Maybe I could hide here for the rest of the evening..._

That would be irresponsible on her part, but she couldn't help it. Being with Shun and him being in that mood was unbearable to be in. Taking out her compact mirror, she glanced at her reflection and nearly cringed. She was all dolled up to be some accessory for some guy to get over his ex-girlfriend. The red head knew that she'd been the one who desperately asked for it.

_Maybe he'd want to get back together with her when I get back..._

With that dim hope in mind, she stood up, flushed the toilet and stared at her reflection determinedly. Alice was not a strong person, but she knew what could empower her and that helped.

She stepped out of the restroom and went back to the reception room. Shun was turning his head around and seemed to be looking for someone. Fabia was at the other side of the room so he wasn't looking for her. His amber eyes landed on her and motioned her over. Like an obedient girl, Alice sat down beside him. He leaned towards her and whispered, "Be an obedient girl, okay?"

Before she could ask what he meant, the raven-haired male pulled away from her and went on the stage. He grabbed the mic and before Alice could breathe, he commanded the attention of everyone in the place.

"Good evening everyone," he started. "I hope you're all having a good time. I'm Shun Kazami. And there's something I would like to share with the rest of the community." He turned to the red head he formerly sat beside at. He extended his hand, smiled a breath-taking smile and called her, "Alice."

Dumbstruck, she stood up and let her feet bring her to him. When she was at arm's reach, she took his hand and he pulled her to his side and wrapped an arm around her waist. "This is my girlfriend, Alice Gehabich." Heat warmed her cheeks.

_Does he really have to announce that to everyone?_

"She's a wonderful person who dragged me out of the depths of my depression," he continued. "As you know, I was previously involved with," he paused and glanced pointedly at Fabia. "With another person. But things didn't work out and Alice here," he tightened his hold on her. "Alice here helped me out of that. And I love her for that."

_I get it... You're trying to compare me with Fabia..._

She wanted to close her eyes, but faked a smile instead. At least he wasn't embarrassing her by kissing her in front of people who potentially have connections with her grandfather or worse, her brother.

From the corner of her eye, she glanced at Fabia who seemed to be scrutinizing them. She looked like a lawyer who's about to rebut a flawed statement from the opposition. Despite feeling extremely pressured, Alice managed a smile at Shun as he continued talking about something she'd tuned herself out off the moment she realized he was comparing her with Fabia.

_Shun just stop it..._

But her previous fears were brought back to life when she felt him tilting up her chin. Everything was muted out and she only heard the mad thumping of blood in her ears. But something to her side flashes and she could make out a few colors on it, red, navy blue and black. She heard the crowd gasp and Shun had to turn his head to the direction of the white wall beside them.

On the wall was a projected picture of him kissing Fabia at the entrance of the hotel they went to a few weeks back. Shun's amber eyes widened and he immediately straightened up, a fist clenched. His initial response was to turn to the possible culprit, Fabia. But the girl was just as shocked as he was. And some of the guests were blaming him of infidelity. It did look like he enjoyed kissing the female in the picture, as his eyes were closed tight and Fabia was flabbergasted. Alice just wanted to disappear and get away from all the people who were asking her if she knew about the relationship.

Honestly, she knew about the kiss, but the two of them have been skirting around one another. She turned to her alleged boyfriend and saw him passively stare at the entirety of the corporate world whisper hushed gossips. He dropped the mic and it caused a loud feedback that the guests cringed.

_What will you do now?_

She saw Fabia approach the front and grab the mic from the floor. There was something akin to sympathy in her eyes and Alice could only hope that her sympathy was enough to move her to add herself into the equation and subtract the red head.

The navy blue-haired female waited for the din of the gossip to die down. Her eyes swept through the crowd and she brought the mic to her lips. "Whoever took this picture must have some incredible hate to either the Sheen family or the Kazami family. I think that's far more worth concern than the picture in itself." Before anyone else could contradict her, Fabia stated, "Shun had a bit too much to drink that night. And he thought I was Alice."

Alice wondered how the people inside the room could buy the story when it was too big of a stretch. When she saw the intense glare the other female gave the man who looked like he was going to ask, she knew why.

"It may sound like a stretch," Fabia said next with a tired look on her face. "But expanding it would only prove your lack of a productive activity. Worse lies have been told in these circles and my words aren't one of them. He was really apologetic about it, but I insisted it'd be better to not tell Alice. It was a mistake on my part and I do hope she forgives me." She turned to Alice who merely nodded. "Well now, no harm done. Let's get this out of our heads, shall we?"

Fabia then turned to Shun and whispered, "Don't screw up again."

Doing the only sensible thing he could. the raven-haired male took his seat and Alice followed meekly behind him. She wanted to talk to Fabia, but she was afraid of what the other girl would say.

A glance at Shun's face and she decided his reaction to this later would be worse.

* * *

><p>Runo stared anxiously at the direction of the door. She wondered if Adam left or if he thought her to be rude or anything. Various thoughts flooded her mind and she was sick of it. She didn't like the uncertainty of it all. Why did she have to care about some guy's claim about her family business?<p>

_It could be true_.

Coming to that conclusion was harder than she thought it would be. Dan was oblivious beside her and she somehow wanted him to ask if something was wrong. He's the only one she can count on anyway.

He turned to her and she thought that maybe she could hope he'd ask. "Are you going to eat that?" He pointed to the pudding she was eating and with a roll of her eyes, Runo pushed the plate to him.

"Go wild..." she said sarcastically.

He didn't seem to know that she was having a hard time keeping herself from actually worrying about what happened with her and that older male. Nonetheless, she sighed and got herself a glass of punch. She didn't know how much she'd actually drank, but to her, it didn't really matter. She knew it was spiked and she had an alcohol tolerance to boast about.

Glancing at the clock, she briefly thought if she should ask the driver to pick her up or stay there for a while.

_The sooner I'm out if this place, the better I'll be... It's work day tomorrow..._

Sighing and placing her cup down, Runo thanks the server and heads back to the table she shared with Dan.

She supposed she should have avoided the slightly elevated platform at the front of the room, but with Adam heading her way and since it was apparent that they'll eventually bump into one another if she didn't change her course, she stepped onto the platform. Her eyes were elsewhere and she didn't see where she was going.

Before the blue-haired manager knew it, she was sprawled on the ground. The long back of her dress made sure that nothing was seen of her, but since she was at the front of the room, everyone saw it.

_Even Dan..._

Before the wind could break the silence in the room, she picked herself up, face red and eyes slightly watery.

_I can't do this..._

She brought her purse to her chest and ran off to the direction of the door. Vaguely, she could hear Dan call out to her, but she ignored it, pausing only by the door to regain her balance before continuing her sprint to the open balcony of the venue. Sliding down the length of the wall, she brought her knees to her chest and sobbed. No one would judge her there.

Runo stared at her shoes and decided how much she hated them. She struggled with the straps and tugged it off. The sensation of air in between her toes made her giggle a bit. Next she took out her purse, opened her compact mirror and made off with the make up on her face. She appreciated Alice's effort for it, but it was just too itchy for her tastes. She took her earrings off and everything else on her except for her dress. As much as she hated to admit it, she liked the dress. Maybe dressing up like a girl wasn't so bad.

As soon as she's thrown all the uncomfortable things away, the blue-haired manager felt her tears coming to her eyes again. She felt so stupid to think that she could pull off being some girl like Alice or Julie. She couldn't be effortless like Mira either or pull off the ragged look like Chan. She was Runo and she liked shorts over skirts and jeans over dresses. Though now and then, she could like dresses.

She heard footsteps coming towards her. And she feared it was someone at the party who would laugh at her.

"Runo?"

The masculine voice was too familiar and she couldn't help but look up at the sight of it. She wiped off her tears and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you," he replied and sat beside her.

"You didn't have to," she told him flippantly. "I'm going home..."

"I was planning on going home too," he told her while scratching the back of his neck. "You okay?"

And she was waiting for this question for a while now. "No. That guy really made me think a lot. I tried to avoid him and landed on my face. I wore this dress and told myself I'd be pleasant around people, but that didn't work out well. I'm just not... this," she gestured at herself.

"Then don't go to parties," he told her. "Don't talk to people who only care about business, don't wear dresses; don't concern yourself with people like them," he jerked his thumb at the direction of the function room. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

"It's not that easy." Runo rolled her eyes.

"Yeah that's true but..." he was cut off by the booming sound of fireworks. The speakers mounted to the wall crackled a bit with sound and the first notes of a song came out of it. It was soft and slow.

_Gotta catch that plane at 7:30  
>Why haven't you come to say goodbye?<br>Time is running out and I'm still waiting  
>I'm so lost without you I could die<em>

Dan stood up, removed his tie, vest and coat. Finally he removed his dress shirt from being tucked into his pants and stretched out his hand to her. "Care if I help you home?"

While the implications of that would have made her mad, she remembered who she was talking to.

_**Stupid boys, smart boys, pretty boys; ugly boys**_

_**Sometimes they care about girls, and cars, and toys**_

_**But when it's girls to talk about, they can be pretty clueless**_

**_Despite it, they can render every fanged one toothless_**

* * *

><p>A few moments after Shun made small talk with some of their prospective partners, Alice found herself dragged by him to the entrance and to the parking lot. She'd wanted to talk to Fabia, but there simply was no time.<p>

He basically pushed her into the car and forced the seat belt around her. From behind them, Alice could hear the fireworks. She wanted to watch it and maybe meet up with her brother if he was there. But Shun made all that impossible.

"Where are you taking me?" She asked him.

"Home."

"This isn't the way to my house."

"Just shut up will you?!"

He was scaring her. She wanted nothing more than to just jump off his car and maybe call a cab home. It was still early and she could still catch a safe cab home. "Shun let me go home. I don't want to go with you."

He stepped on the brake abruptly and as they approached a parked car rapidly. She didn't know much about driving, but the red head could definitely guess that parallel parking didn't work that way.

"What are you-?"

She was cut off when he leaned over and kissed her hungrily. Shun made quick work of his seat belt and climbed over to her side of the car. Internally, Alice panicked. Her purse was in reach but she probably didn't have enough time to dial her brother's number and have him help her. By then, Shun will have been done with her.

The red head pressed her palms on his shoulders and turned her head away, a mistake since he moved from her lips to her neck. Alice squirmed against him and started to pound at his chest with her fists. "Let me go!"

Desperately, the Russian turned to the windows and realized in despair that they were tinted heavily. When he drew back, she raised her hand and slapped him hard. He stayed there in stunned silence while Alice panted heavily. Her face was flushed with a pink hue. "Get off me," she said sternly and it would seem that Shun regained his senses because he climbed off and sat back into his seat.

"You said-," he started and she cut him off.

"I said I'd help you forget about Fabia, but thinking that I'm her, won't help you." She unbuckled her seat belt and threw her door open. "Until you get that straight, I don't think we should continue with this."

Alice got off, closed the door and decided to call a cab home.

* * *

><p>Mira downed her, more or less, thirtieth glass of punch and was still thinking straight. "I really want to go home now," she told Ace.<p>

"I heard someone was tampering with the audio system," Ace said with a grin on his face. "That should turn out to be exciting, don't you think?"

She rolled her eyes.

_Typical Ace..._

* * *

><p>Chan glanced at her wrist watch as Joe secured another business deal with another older man who seemed to see his love for electronics interesting. It was the third time that night and it was getting rather late. She had to go to work tomorrow anyway.<p>

As Joe approached her with a grin on his face, she smiled softly. "Are we done here?"

He glanced at his own watch and saw how late it was. "Oh yeah. I'm sorry. I forgot that you have work tomorrow..."

They both stood up, Joe muttering his goodbyes to the new partners he'd made while Chan gave them an amiable smile.

When they reached the door however, it locked up on them.

"Wha-?" Joe started but was cut off by Chan.

"Whatever happens," she told him in a whisper as they went back to their seats. "Don't let got of my hand."

He nodded and offered his hand to her, which she accepted with a wary once-over the place.

* * *

><p>It was getting close to midnight when Jet asked again, "Where's Chaq?"<p>

Masquerade shrugged. "The ones I sent to look for her said they couldn't find her."

The brunette started to worry again. Her best friend was the most reliable person ever and if even he couldn't find her sister then where could she be? The blonde sensed her worry and rested a hand on hers.

"Your sister's more than capable of taking care of herself," he reminded her.

"I know that... But..." she shifted uneasily in her seat. "I just wish she brought her medicine with her."

"Medicine?" He echoed.

"You didn't know?" Jet seemed surprise. "When mom and dad took her in, we were told that she had asthma. One time we were playing around and she suddenly turned reddish and her breaths became short. I told her that we were going home and she nearly fell off the stairs because she couldn't breathe anymore."

After she finished speaking, the lights turned dim and most of the guests panicked. The speakers at the corners of the room crackled and a male voice said, "Testing, testing... Hello? Hello?"

Jet furrowed her brows in confusion. She and Masquerade shared a look; one that clearly said,_why do I seem to know that voice?_

"Ah well~!" The voice at the speakers said, "Since it's nearly midnight,_ we,_ my partner and me, decided to make something special for the guests of this here event."

From the other room, Mira raised a brow, but nonetheless stayed seated. "Something special?" It sounded rather ominous especially since they couldn't see who was talking. But since her brother seemed to be calm about it, she decided it wasn't worth stressing over. Some of the guests, weren't faring well.

Jet could understand the panic, but they should probably just listen to the voice coming from the speakers.

Joe could feel Chan's hand tighten around his own, but nonetheless, both of them kept a cool and calm exterior.

"Oh and before you call any cops, check this out," the voice continued with an excited lilt in its tone.

The screens on both rooms were rolled back while the curtains were electronically pushed away, giving them a clear view of the night sky with the moon in its full glory. Suddenly, the indigo night was painted with colorful fireworks. The guests applauded and sat back in their seats, satisfied.

"And now, to get all of you old people in the mood, here's a little something by my gorgeous friend."

Mira noted how the chandeliers gave off a light glow as the voice over the speakers spoke. An intro of a slow song was played through the speakers and the voice from there went completely quiet. From the other rooms, both Chan and Jet were still rather cautious.

_Gotta catch that plane at 7:30  
><em>_Why haven't you come to say goodbye?  
>Time is running out and I'm still waiting<br>I'm so lost without you, I could die_

_Yesterday you said you loved me  
>Everything seemed to be fine<br>Today you're not here, I'm so lonely  
>It's the waiting that's driving me out of my mind<em>

At the corner of their room, Jet saw a black-haired female wearing a Gothic Lolita dress illuminated by the spotlight. She was holding the mic and the guests, particularly the older ones who knew the song, clapped as she continued.

"Chaq?" She whispered softly. "Then the one at the speakers must be-,"

"Heya Jetty~!" A cheerful male voice greeted her. When the brunette turned around, she saw a dear friend of hers.

"Tyler!" Jet exclaimed as he tried to give her a hug only to be prevented by Masquerade.

"Hands off, Tyler." The blonde told him. "And the fireworks were your grand idea?"

"You like it?" The addressed male asked. "Gatherings like these are boring, don't you think?"

"When did you come here?" Jet asked. It'd been so long since she last saw him. Instead of getting a reply though, Tyler gestured at the singing female at the front.

Masquerade smirked. "Well now we have someone to keep your sister occupied..."

"Shut it, Masky." Jet playfully hit his shoulder.

Ace, from the other room, stood up and took advantage of the music. "Another dance, Mira?"

She scoffed in reply but took his hand anyway.

Joe on the other hand, approached the glass windows to get a closer look at the fireworks. "Well now," he turned to Chan who stepped up beside him. "That wasn't so bad was it?"

"I suppose I was a bit too paranoid," she said with a small blush on her face.

Chaq continued with the song, her eyes locked with Tyler and smiled.

_Don't know how I'll sing in that big city  
><em>_How can I perform if you're not there?  
><em>_This will be the worst of all my journeys  
><em>_The image of your face will follow me everywhere_

"Okay now," Jet pinched his ear and asked, "How on earth did you and my sister hook up?"

Tyler grinned apologetically. "It's a very long story, Jetty... You might wanna hear Chaq sing first..."

Indeed she was nearing the chorus. And suddenly the lights in their room died down and they could hear the tell tale whizzing of fog machines.

"If," she started and the spotlight focused on her. This time her mic was on a stand and she raised a finger to the air.

Suddenly the song changed a bit and the drums became more prevalent. It was different from what the oldies were used to.

_If you're not here  
><em>_By my side  
><em>_Can't hold back the tears  
><em>_I've tried to hide  
><em>_Don't think I can take it  
><em>_I know I won't make it  
><em>_Make it without you_

The last line was practically a part of a scream in a rock song before Chaq swung around and continued with the rest of the chorus.

Chan could only laugh at the flabbergasted looks on the guests as the singer sang the classic song differently. Joe joined in and together they were given odd looks by the occupants of the room.

Mira immediately stopped when she heard the scream and saw Ace make a face at it.

"Oh man it was such a nice song..."

Despite the fact that she initially didn't want anything to do with enjoying his company, she did in the end.

_If you're not here by my side  
>Only your love keeps me alive<br>No sense in dreaming  
>My life has no meaning<br>If you're not here_

At the end of the song the audience applauded, but the lights dimmed again and when it got back on, both Chaq and Tyler were gone. The speakers crackled again.

"We hope you liked this performance~!" Tyler practically sang. "But it's way past bed time and we should all go home and pretend this never happened!"

Jet could only chuckle. "Oh Tyler... Well then, shall we?"

"What about your sister?" Masquerade asked.

"I'm sure Tyler will take care of her."

* * *

><p>From across the town, Billy sat with a can of beer in one hand and another arm wrapped around Julie's shoulders. She snuggled into him as they watched the fleeting fireworks and help up her can of ginger ale.<p>

"What for?" The blonde asked.

"Oh nothing," she giggled. "To us maybe?"

Poking her nose playfully, they clinked cans and Billy nodded. "To us."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay so from now on there will be no sequence... Anyone could be in the next chapter, it could be just one person or a few more... All the requests about Shun and Alice chapters are especially infuriating when they're not even the focus of the chapter...<strong>

**Also, I've deleted all the anonymous comments because most (not all but most) were just spam that I literally didn't understand... But I could get that they mostly wanted a Shun and Alice chapter that I didn't give because of the currently revoked pattern...**

**For the benefit of those Shun-Alice fans who might be having a heart attack because Shun isn't treating her right, haven't you guys heard of a plot twist yet? Or drama content for that matter?**

**Anyway, the song is "If you're not here" but the chorus part came from the Kamikazee version of it... You can look it up or just plain ignore it...**

**Shout out to JetravenEx whose OC is Tyler... She ships him with Chaq and it rubbed off on me... XD**

**Since Chaq is based on me, yes I can sing and yes I can sing that particular chorus part...**

**Don't ask me about the ending... I wanted them all there even if it's just a few words...**

**Anyway, please feel free to click the REVIEW button and feel free to convey your deepest darkest thoughts about the contents of this chapter as it is greatly appreciated by the author.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**chquine_harvinellisse**


	19. The morning after

Chapter 19

The morning after

.

"Are you following me?" Runo asked as she bumped into Dan on her way to work.

"No," he defended as he showed her his school bag. "This is the way to the university."

"Then why am I bumping into you just now?" She retorted with a hand to her hip.

Dan shrugged. "Don't ask me that. Anyway, the entire party was given a page on this morning's paper." His face was turned into a sudden frown. "I think you should read it."

At the front page, Runo saw a picture from the inside of the hotel. It looked suspiciously like the room she and Dan had been in, but she remembered how the five event rooms were mostly identical to one another. But projected at the screen was a picture of Shun, as far as she knew, and a girl who was under him and in his arms while they kissed. Under the projected picture, she could make out the same raven-haired male with Alice right beside him. They had their backs turned to the one who took the picture so the manager couldn't make out the looks on their faces.

"What is this?" She asked the brunette in front of her.

"I don't know," Dan replied. "But whatever this is, it was publicized through the morning paper."

Runo folded it and said, "Do you mind if I have this now?"

He nodded and glanced at his watch. "Oh man. I'm late for school." He started to sprint, but turned to her enough so she could see his grin. "See you, Amazon!"

This caused the blue-haired manager to scream, "I am not an Amazon! Go take a train you filthy rich kid!" When he disappeared with an arm waving goodbye, Runo took out her phone and dialed Alice's number. The red head hadn't come home last night and sent her a brief text informing her that she was staying at her brother's place.

"Hello?" An unfamiliar female voice met her on the other side.

"Uh, hello," Runo started. "Is Alice Gehabich there?"

"Alice?" The one at the other side of the line echoed. "Oh, must be Masky's sister... Hold on. Who is this?"

"Runo," she replied. "Runo Misaki."

"Okay hold on~! **HEY MASKY! A RUNO IS LOOKING FOR YOU!**"

Runo waited as something akin to Masquerade's voice came through the speaker of her phone. "Hey, is Alice there?" She asked immediately, making sure that her worry was evident.

"Yeah," Masquerade replied coolly. "She's here."

She hesitated. "Can I speak to her?"

His exasperated sigh was apparent at her side of the line. "She's still locked up in her room. I tried talking to her, but she won't come out of the door."

"Have you seen the morning paper?"

"Yeah, we saw it over breakfast..." he replied. "And Alice locked herself in her room since then. I was about to call you and tell you that she might not make it, but you called first. Jet and her sister are getting ready though."

"Oh, okay..." she bit her lip.

"Don't worry, Runo." He said firmly. "I will get to the bottom of whatever problem Alice has. I'm sure she'll tell you something when she's ready..."

She nodded and made a sound of affirmation from the back of her throat. It was nice that Jet and another were going to help along in the red head's place. But she was still worried. Nonetheless, she picked up her pace and headed to Crest.

* * *

><p>Mira took off her helmet and got off Ace's motorcycle. She didn't know how his suit managed to stay its presentable look and she wasn't going to ask. He lifted the visor of his helmet and asked, "What time do you get off?"<p>

Shrugging, Mira said, "Mostly at around 5, but that depends really..."

"Okay, 5 then..." Ace said and he made a move to lower his visor again, but paused and gave Mira an expectant look. "Where's my goodbye kiss?"

"Your what?" She deadpanned.

"I have a deal to seal today," he reasoned out. "I need all the help I can get, Mira..."

"Then you should have read their proposals instead of sleeping on my couch," she retorted and poked his nose. But softened and kissed his forehead anyway. "I'll see you later?"

"Yeah," he smiled and put down his visor. "See you..."

Without waiting for him to leave, Mira opened the back door and prepared the kitchen. She heard Runo walking around the place, probably dusting tables and preparing the register. She noted that the usually loud manager was silent.

"Runo?"

"Yeah?" The manager called out. When she appeared by the doorway. The red head noted the worry on her face. "What's wrong?"

"You were at the party last night, right?" Runo looked away.

"Yeah, but we were in different rooms right?" She tried to push away the events that took place between her and Ace.

Runo unfolded the broadsheet in front of Mira and said, "Well apparently something happened between Alice and her pseudo-boyfriend."

Mira took out the newspaper and skimmed through the article. "So let me get this straight," she started. "Shun was caught kissing his ex-girlfriend and was caught on cam. That picture was shown last night just as Shun was announcing to them that he and Alice were going to go on a partnership deal along with their engagement. And then his ex-girlfriend, Fabia Sheen... Oh I've heard about her. Supposedly she's a nasty girl, but she defended them?"

The managed nodded and hung her head. "I guess Alice is still a bit upset about that."

"Who wouldn't?" Mira asked as she folded the paper and hid it as she saw Julie come in with the usual smile on her face. "Do we tell the others about this?"

"We probably shouldn't," Runo hesitated. "But it's in the paper anyway..."

"Hey guys!" Julie greeted enthusiastically. "How was the party last night?"

Runo smiled nervously. "Ah well... It was pretty nice."

Mira, however, decided to come clean with it. "Have you seen the morning paper, Julie?"

"Yeah," Julie nodded. "I saw this picture of Alice beside some guy and they didn't look happy. But what happened to the rest of you guys?"

Both of the girls visibly blushed.

"Ah... W-well... That's n-not th-the problem here!" Runo stuttered. "I mean... Alice is probably upset by now."

Mira nodded and cleared her throat, though the blush on her face was still pretty noticeable. "Th-that's right..."

An excited glint was in Julie's eyes. "Okay then... I think we should let Alice get some space, don't you girls think?"

"Yeah," they answered in unison.

"After all, things have been crazy around her." The bubbly silver-haired girl disappeared into the kitchen to change into their uniform.

Mira turned to the manager with a worried look on her face. Both Runo and Alice were very good friends and while the employees of Crest are all generally in good terms with one another, the two of them have been friends even before that. Plus they've been living in the same apartment for nearly five years.

But the blue-haired manager gave the cook a smile and said, "Don't worry. We have extra hands coming to help us today."

"Oh really? Who?"

As in on cue, the door opened and revealed Jet with a shorter, black-haired girl behind her.

"Good morning, Jet," Runo greeted and peered at the black-haired stranger. "And, uh, you are?"

"Chaq," she chirped. "I'm Jetty's sister. I came along to help, but I don't really do well on roller skates..." she looked embarrassed by it.

"Oh that's okay," Mira jerked a thumb towards the kitchen. "You can stay with me in the kitchen. Chan might be here late in the afternoon so I'll need help with the dishes."

Runo smiled as they went to their respective places. She on the other hand, finished with the register and sighed.

* * *

><p>"I appreciate this, brother, but you don't have to."<p>

Masquerade would have glared at his sister, but at the glazed look in her eyes he just sighed. He put the tray at the foot of the bed and said, "You look horrible."

"Well that's-,"

"And that's not something for you to make fun of either," he snapped. "You came here last night looking like someone had told you that you'd be marrying Klaus. So I want you to gather your wits and tell me what happened as soon as you can." He took the tray and handed it to her. "But you have to eat. If you want to stay here a bit longer, I'll go tell Runo. But you need to tell me what's wrong, otherwise I won't be able to help you."

She stared at her brother as he went to leave the room.

_To be honest, I think I would rather if Klaus married me..._

She picked up her utensils and started eating. As a child, she always liked what her brother made for her, but now it seemed better to her.

_Maybe I'm just really hungry..._

The morning paper really unnerved her. She didn't think that the events of the party would be publicized. Moreover, it stated how she looked completely aware of her boyfriend's slip up with Fabia Sheen. Her brother had already called on the newspaper and asked (threatened) them to refrain from putting any negative comments about Alice Gehabich. While she appreciated her brother's help, it made her feel even more helpless than she already was.

Finishing her food, the red head decided to push the covers away and get her act together. She opened the door and stepped out into the hall, remembering that she'd collapsed on her knees the night before and Chaq and Jet had to gently guide her up. She also remembered that she had dropped her purse on the couch. But her brother might have inspected that already.

"Are you feeling okay now?" He asked her and she nodded.

"Did someone else call me this morning?" She asked.

"Should there be another call for you?" Masquerade frowned.

"I... I guess not..." she sat on the couch.

He sighed and asked, "Are you... going to tell me what's wrong now?"

The red head smiled that at least her brother was trying to be patient, but it was never one of his strongest suits. She knew that she would have to tell him today, otherwise, he'll take matters into his own hands and he might actually murder Shun if he found out.

"I'll tell you," she saw a small smile form on his face. "But you have to promise me that you won't overreact about it," she said.

Hesitation was plain on Masquerade's face. But she knew which bargain to ask for and it was the one her brother couldn't refuse. With a rather heavy sigh, he relented. "Alright. I promise I won't overreact..."

Taking a deep breath, Alice stated, "Shun... He almost raped me..."

* * *

><p>"Please come again!" Runo bowed to the customer who just left. Jet turned the sign so it would show that they're closed for the day when a knock made them all turn to the door.<p>

It was Shun.

And a frown immediately appeared on Runo's face. Nonetheless, she opened the door for him, but didn't let him in. "Is there anything you want?" She asked as curtly as possible.

"Is Alice here?" He asked just as curtly as she did, if not more.

"No. She took a day off."

"Do you know where I can find her?"

"Fancy seeing you here, Kazami." A male voice suddenly cut in. When Runo raised her eyes, she saw Masquerade parking a worn out bicycle with his hair in disarray and his clothes noticeably dusty.

"Who might you be?" Shun asked, hostility laced in his tone.

"I'm the brother of the girl you nearly raped last night," he spat out the words as he stalked menacingly towards the raven-haired male.

"What are you-?"

Before Shun could finish that sentence, Masquerade's fist connected with his nose. Runo was shocked, but quick to try and break up the fight. Jet and Julie who saw it from the glass window rushed out too.

"Hey! What do you think you're-?" Runo was cut off when the blonde male effortlessly removed her arms on his shoulders and gave Shun a hard punch to the gut, making the latter male recoil in shock.

"Masky, stop it!" Jet shouted.

"You're hurting him!" Julie nodded as the three of them tried to pry him away from Shun who was getting pretty beat up.

"Let me go you idiots!" He protested. "This guy... This guy...! I'll kill him!"

"Stop it!" Runo pulled him away and said, "We can talk this over!"

This time, the blonde turned to the three of them and even without seeing his mismatched eyes, they could feel the rage coming out of it.

"**THIS BASTARD NEARLY RAPED ALICE AND YOU WANT ME TO TALK IT OVER?!**"

Runo stopped and the other two barely held onto him. "What?" Runo's eyes widened as her gaze fixed on Shun. "He... nearly raped Alice?"

By this time, both Mira and Chan were out to help restrain the raging older brother. The manager, on the other hand, walked slowly towards Shun who was sporting a broken lip, a bruised jaw, cheekbone and a cut on his forehead.

"You-," he started but was cut short when Runo raised her hand and slapped him hard.

"Runo!" Mira rushed to her side and saw that the blue-haired female was shaking.

"You... bastard..." Runo started.

"I think we should all sit down and talk about this calmly," Chan said pointedly at Masquerade and Runo.

"Didn't you hear me? This guy-!" Masquerade was cut off by a glare from the Chinese girl.

"Yes. I heard. But don't you think we should find out why they're involved? I'm sure you know, Masquerade, but the rest of us," she gestures at the other employees, "We're friends of Alice too... And we want to know what's happening. Besides," she glanced at Masquerade and asked, "You wouldn't want to be filed with a case of serious physical injury right?"

"You think I care about my records?" The blonde raged. "This bastard nearly raped my sister!"

"And if you have your records tainted with physical injury other families won't want you as their partner. Alice will have to end up with jerks like him to save your company," Chan said sternly. "I'm not saying that's what will happen, but isn't the corporate world just as unstable for you to keep her out of it?"

With that, they entered and kept Masquerade as far away from Shun as possible. Chan was in between the two of them, just in case one of them decided to jump at the other.

"How did you know he'd be here?" Mira asked Masquerade, breaking the silence almost effortlessly.

"Alice told me that this is where he'd go if he'd look for her. Fortunately, I came here on time," Masquerade replied as he sipped absently at his avocado shake. As an extra precaution, Jet and Chaq were sitting on the table right in front of him. "I promised her I wouldn't overreact, but what brother in his right mind would keep rape sitting down?"

"I'm sorry," Shun said. "I... I was just so mad..."

"Yes," Chan turned to him. Despite the initial hostility towards him, they were kind enough to give him an ice pack and melon shake. "Please do tell us how you managed to be in Alice's company."

"She needed a boyfriend to keep her away from Klaus von Hertzen," Shun replied and the familiar name made Chan clench her fist.

"You mean that nasty bastard who thought I was some sort of prostitute?"

The room turned eerily silent at that and Masquerade broke it with a chuckle. "That sounds like something he would do."

"Anyway," Chan coughed. "Continue," she told Shun.

"And I needed someone to keep my mind off Fabia," he continued as told and looked away. "She agreed and the deal was set. I just... underestimated the kind of influence Fabia had on me..."

"Influence?" Julie echoed. "Oh you mean when she saved your butt from humiliation in front of the people there."

Shun frowned at that. "She did that to save her ass," he almost spat out the words. "She was on the line too when that picture came out on the screen. She isn't some selfish saint."

"That's your problem," Mira said. "If you don't like how she helped you out of that ditch, I say you don't deserve anyone at all. Not Alice or Fabia."

Chan leaned forward with her hand on her chin. "I'm curious as to why you and Fabia Sheen broke up anyway? From what Joe told me, your families have agreed on a partnership. If you married her-,"

"I wanted to marry her," Shun cut in. "But she flat-out rejected me. She told me that I wasn't in love with her and I was attached to the image of my mother carved on her."

Mira's eyes suddenly brightened up. "Wait your last name's Kazami right?" After receiving confirmation from him, she turned to a picture of Fabia on the broadsheet. "Now that I think about it, she _does_ look like Miss Shiori..."

"You knew my mother?" Shun asked, surprised. His mother had been low profile, but a few had managed to meet her before she died. "She was mostly involved in charity work and nothing much about the company in itself."

"Yeah," Mira nodded. "My brother and I were helping this orphanage and she was there, telling stories to the little kids."

"She always did like the little kids," Shun muttered, almost hatefully.

Masquerade slammed his hand on the table. "That doesn't justify how you treated Alice!"

"I know," Shun hung his head. "I would like to apologize to her."

"Not without us you don't," Runo said hatefully. "You're not hurting her again."

"I will have to agree with Runo here," Chan said and the others voiced out their acquiescence.

Shun turned away and said, "Yeah okay... I can live with that. I just.. I really just want to apologize. I should probably get my act together before I do." He stood up, downed his melon shake and limped out of the place with the ice pack pressed against his cheek.

Masquerade stood up and turned to Jet and Chaq. "Are you guys ready to go home?"

Jet nodded and took her sister by the wrist. "We'll see you girls again."

"Bye!" Chaq smiled at them.

"Well," Runo said as she let out a deep exhale. "I think our job here is done."

* * *

><p>The blue-haired manager took the long way home and stopped by the basketball court. It was empty to her dismay, but there was a suspicious ball at the middle. Nevertheless, she picked it up and dribbled it experimentally. Smiling, she ran to the hoop and from the corner of her eye, she spotted movement and opted for a lay-up instead of a dunk.<p>

"I knew you'd fall for the ball," Dan said with a cheeky grin.

She passed the ball to him and he jumped down. "Care for a game?"

"Why are you suddenly so nice to me?" She asked suddenly. It had been a question on her mind, but she decided to keep it to herself. "I mean, I get that I'm Marucho's step sister and you're friends and all, but why?"

"You seem like someone who'd need a friend," he shrugged. "I mean," he suddenly blushed at the implication. "There's no harm in that right? B-b-besides... that c-c-creep Adam m-might come out a-again..."

"You don't think I can take him?"

"I didn't say that. I just-!"

And for the first time that day, Runo laughed.

* * *

><p><strong>I know it's shorter than my blast of a chapter previously, but I really wanted to have this out... It's mostly a filler, but it explained the reactions of the girls... I don't know who the next chapter is going to be or when I'm going to have it out but anyway... I think a few things start about now...<strong>

**I'm sorry if the ending was a bit... shall we say hanging? But I intended that from the start... XD (No I didn't...)**

**Anyway, please feel free to click the REVIEW button and feel free to convey your deepest darkest thoughts about the contents of this chapter as it is greatly appreciated by the author.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**chquine_harvinellisse**


	20. 火

**This chapter is an OC chapter... Don't like; don't read...**

* * *

><p>Chapter 20<p>

火

.

Masquerade had gone to work that morning and Alice had returned to her apartment with Runo, a notion that her brother was more than adamant with. Jet went to Crest without waking her up. Maybe her sister thought she'd go first. Nonetheless, Chaq swung her feet off the bed and opened the door. When she got to the hall, she smelled something that was off.

_Maybe Masky left the coffee maker behind? Mom left that once before and it kinda smelled like this..._

She went into the bathroom, washed her face and brushed her teeth. Afterwards, she went back into her room to change into a striped red and black button up shirt, black pants and beige closed shoes. When she opened the door, thick black smoke greeted her. Immediately, she dropped to the floor and felt for her phone at her pocket. Her sister was at speed dial 1 and she pressed it first, blocking her breathing with her sleeve.

_Come on Jet! Answer your phone!_

With difficulty, she crawled down the stairs and made it to the living area with only the edge of her pants getting slightly singed. She didn't know where the fire came from, but she would've at least hoped that the masked blonde installed sprinklers in his home. After a few more rings, Jet still didn't pick up and Chaq, brought the phone to her face, only to have a beam of wood fall a few inches away from her. Frantically, she found the shelf and leaned her head against it for a while. She pressed speed dial 2, which was for Tyler.

The edge of the shelf was catching fire as well and she crawled away from it. Masquerade's house was quite large and he had a lot of bookshelves downstairs. This one she was leaning on could be near the stairs or near the door; heck it could be anywhere in the living room. It was hard to see with the smoke all around, and given her lung condition, it was also getting hard to breathe.

_Pick up Tyler!_

As she crawled blindly around what was presumably the first floor, something hot and heavy fell on her legs. She screamed before finding out that she could still get out of it. It was hot, but she had to keep crawling and keep looking for the door. But it was also getting hard to breathe as she felt her airways tightening and the premise of an attack coming in.

Her limbs felt numb and her arms felt hot. Her vision was also darkening as she heard someone pick up from the other line.

"J... J-Jet-t-ty..." she mumbled as she brought the phone closer to her lips and coughing. "Ty... ler?"

And everything went black.

* * *

><p>Masquerade just came out of the conference room when he heard a his phone ringing. When he checked the number, it was the receptionist at the front desk of where he was staying. "Yes hello?"<p>

"Mister Gehabich? Your apartment was set on fire."

"Are you serious?" He snapped. Immediately, he remembered Jet and Chaq. "Was there... Was there anyone injured?" He dreaded the answer.

"Yes," the receptionist replied apathetically. "A young girl, I've heard. But she was busted out of the place before we found out about the fire."

"What's her situation?"

"Oh..." she seemed to be caught unaware by that question. "An ambulance has been called and they should be here soon."

"What was the name of the injured girl?" Jet could qualify as a young girl, but so did Chaq.

"We haven't checked," she said in a monotone.

"Well then go on and find out!" He barked into his phone. "I'll be there in ten." He turned to his secretary. "Cancel all my meetings. My house was set on fire."

The secretary nodded dumbly before watching Masquerade run into the elevator. From inside, Masquerade dialed Jet's number. When there was an answer, he asked frantically, "Jet! Are you there Jet?!"

"Stop shouting!" Runo's voice fought back. "Jet's on her shift."

"So she's at Crest?"

"Well duh."

"Okay. Tell her I'll call her later." With that he hung up and dialed Chaq's number. It rang for a long time before it was answered by a frantic male voice. "Hello?! Masquerade?"

He recognized the voice. "Tyler? What are you doing with Chaq's phone?" He asked curiously as he ran to the parking lot.

"She called me!" He sounded frazzled. "And when I got here it was burning."

A thousand questions invaded Masquerade's mind, such as how Tyler got in, but he ignored it as he revved up his car and said, "I'll be there in a few so don't panic." And then he hung up.

_Dammit! First Alice and now Chaq! I swear if Jet gets hurt, I'll need to find a therapist..._

And at the thought of his best friend, another thought came into his mind.

_What will Jet say if she finds out?_

That made him step on the gas and pound on the horn.

* * *

><p>Jet was enjoying a strawberry parfait when Runo suddenly snapped and screamed.<p>

"Ah! I forgot something!" The manager exclaimed as she took out the brunette's phone from her pocket. "Masquerade called you and I saw your sister leave a missed call."

Jet could only smile in acceptance of the blue-haired female's apology. "It's okay Runo. The previous customers were a handful anyway."

True to that, the previous customers were a bunch of students who cut class to enjoy cold treats on a rather warm day. They ordered main course meals first: pasta, rice, and sandwiches that would've lasted for days. Afterwards they ordered desserts; Mira had to sacrifice the hidden stash of pistachio ice cream she had to keep Runo calm.

"I'll buy you an entire truck next time..." Mira had sworn as the gloomy aura around her started to form. The potatoes were going to get murdered.

Jet saw that there was indeed a missed call from her sister and an answered call from Masquerade. "What did the blonde say?"

"Hm?" Runo blinked. "Oh mostly, he confirmed if you were here. He sounded a bit frantic though. He was shouting when he called."

_Did something happen?_

Nevertheless, the brunette called Masquerade and he picked up on the fourth ring.

"Jet?" He sounded tired.

"What's wrong?"

"Look, don't panic okay?" Even through the other side of the line, Jet could feel the grimace on his face.

"You're making me panic right now," she told him. "What's happened?"

She heard a sigh and then the tell tale sound of footsteps all around him. He was silent for a while and Jet thought that he'd cut the call.

"Chaq is..."

Those two words were enough to make Jet panic.

_Injured? Hurt? Kidnapped? Dead?_

The last word made her fall to the chair behind her. With a trembling voice, she asked, "What... happened... to... my sister?"

"She's in the hospital."

While it was still a far cry from the worst she'd thought of, she was still panicked. "Why? What hospital is she in? Is it bad? What-?"

"Calm down Jet." Masquerade said immediately. "My house was on fire and she was inside."

"WHAT?"

"Calm down." He said more sternly and gave her directions on where to go. "But get yourself together okay? Tyler's here too..."

_Tyler?_

"Okay... I got it..." Jet said, deflated and turned to Runo. "I have to go."

The manager didn't ask and just nodded.

Julie patted her back and said, "Give us a ring if you need us girl."

"We'll be there!" Mira called from the kitchen. Chan had yet to come to work.

Jet nodded and ran into the bathroom. "Thank you everyone."

* * *

><p>Tyler turned towards the door that revealed a panting Jet. Her hair was in disarray and she was panting. He looked a bit worse for wear as well.<p>

"I came here..." she paused to catch her breath. "I came here as soon as I heard... What happened?"

He clenched his fists on his trousers and said, "Well... She called me and when I picked up... I heard her scream. And then she coughed and called your name and then mine and then... and then... she stopped talking..."

"Oh..." Jet sagged on a nearby chair. "How is she?"

Tyler shook his head. "They didn't tell me anything. Masquerade was here a while ago, but left before I could talk to him. He seemed pretty angry."

Jet nodded. "Did... Did you get her out?"

"There was a lot of fire..." he said. "I... You know I like setting things on fire, but no one does the same to Chaq..."

"Thank you," Jet said silently. It took her a while before she turned to look at her sister on the bed. She was asleep, with an oxygen mask covering her nose and mouth. An IV drip was connected to her right arm and there were some bandages wrapped around her arms. "I can only assume she had a hard time breathing."

Tyler nodded. "You took her in when you were ten right?"

"Seven," she corrected him and asked, "Mom was getting worried that I was spending too much time with you and the others." She smiled nostalgically at that. "But she wasn't hospitable anymore for a child, so they chose to adopt. She was the one wandering around when the other children were presented to us. The caretaker became mad at her and forced her to line with the others. And she said, 'No one's going to adopt me anyway.' But I told mom I wanted her as a sister."

Tyler chuckled. "That sounds a lot like her."

"Yeah it is..." Jet smiled. She noted how Tyler needed to change his clothes and maybe take a bath because he smelled like smoke; stark against the sterile smell of the hospital in general. She would have told him that but there was something else she wanted to know.

"You didn't answer my question really," she said suddenly. "How did you and my sister hook up?"

"I don't really remember either," Tyler said. "It could be when she helped me steal a chocolate bar from the shop just across the street; she hid the wrapper inside my candy wrapper and threw it into the gym's trash. No one looked in there. Maybe it was when she started hanging around with us. Or when she sang that 'Once Upon a Dream' during one of those stupid school events. It could even be when she had an attack and was locked inside the janitor's closet-,"

"Wait, what?" Jet was surprised. "She was locked inside the janitor's closet?"

Tyler seemed equally surprised. "She never told you she was bullied?"

"She was?"

"Yeah... About a few months right after she got into school," he replied. "She got exempted from gym class because she was having an attack. But the teacher asked her to stay in the gym so she can watch. Other kids didn't like it so they shoved her inside the janitor's closet. I heard some knocking coming from the inside. And she was there, barely conscious..." a wry chuckle escaped his lips. "Much like how I found her in Masky's place this morning..."

"She never told us that..."

"Maybe she didn't want you to worry," Tyler offered lightly with a shrug.

"She's always been like that..." Jet smiled as she brushed off a lock of hair on Chaq's cheek. "But I worry about her anyway..."

* * *

><p>That evening, Jet left for Masquerade's house because of her shift at Crest the next day. She was rather reluctant, but Tyler promised to keep watch.<p>

"Okay," Jet finally gave up. "But go take a shower first," she said by the door. She took a few moments to survey the room. On the table was some food, courtesy of Mira and fruits from Runo. Chaq still had her oxygen mask on, but the doctor had told them that aside from her burns, there was nothing more to worry. She just had to wake up and she'll be able to get back home in a few days.

Tyler nodded and decided to take a quick shower and sat on the chair beside the bed again. He turned on the T.V to his favorite cartoon channel. Cartoons always put his mind at ease.

"Ty...ler?"

He started at that and turned to the barely-awake patient lying on the hospital bed. For a moment, he couldn't process that she was awake and just stared at her like an idiot.

Soon he caught himself and asked frantically, "Do you need something? Are you hurt anywhere? Are you hungry? Do you want me to call the doctor? Do you want to eat something?"

"I'm fine Tyler..." she rasped with a smile. "Can you get me some water though?"

He stood up abruptly and nearly cracked his neck in the process. It was a good thing Runo packed some bottled water with her fruits... and a straw. Tyler twisted the bottle cap open, inserted the straw, made sure it won't sink to the bottom and turned one of the knobs at the foot of the bed to make her sit up. Chaq removed the oxygen mask from her face and he brought the straw close to her lips and she slowly sipped on it. He helped her get back to her initial position and sat back on his chair.

"How did you get in the house?" Chaq asked suddenly.

Tyler grinned and said, "I picked the lock."

She raised a hand and gently patted his head that he brought close to her. "Aww... Good job Tyler..." Although it sounded less enthusiastic he could remember that from the countless times they made mischief no matter where they went.

"You sound terrible," he told her and took her free hand in his. "You're going to get better okay? And I'm going to watch over you."

Chaq smiled at him and turned to the T.V. "Can I watch some cartoons before I sleep then?"

Tyler nodded at her and waited until her breath evened out as she fell asleep.

"Sleep tight, Chaq..."

* * *

><p><strong>Since this was the 20th chapter, I decided to make a short about my OC and a little of the others too... This chapter is also a bit crucial to the next few chapters with Jet and Masky in them... Also, the person who caused the fire will have a little bit to do with the other chapters...<strong>

**Shout out again to JetravenEx whose OC is Tyler... She has a lot of wonderful fanfics that twist and bend the Bakugan universe in innovative and creative ways... =D If you like adventure and OCs and a lot of plot manipulation, go check her stuff out... Also, I'm sorry if Tyler's a bit OoC, I only had a few references, like the chapter of DD that I was reading a few days ago (Dual Dimensions and Doom and Docorrus)... =D**

**Fun fact, the title of this chapter is the Japanese character for 'fire', I thought using Fire as a chapter title would be too... not creative... I'll probably have some others involved in the other chapters... But author's note is done... =D**

**Anyway, please feel free to click the REVIEW button and feel free to convey your deepest darkest thoughts about the contents of this chapter as it is greatly appreciated by the author.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**chquine_harvinellisse**


	21. La vie en rose

Chapter 21

La vie en rose

.

Chan stared at her phone in askance as she rounded the corner and entered a convenience store. Runo had sent her a text message earlier that they were going to close for the afternoon because Jet had to leave early. Chaq had been sent to the hospital and they opted to pay her a visit. And while she would've wanted to visit too, Joe had already booked her for the afternoon.

"Paintball?" She remembered saying that out loud as she read the flyer he'd given her at lunch time. "You want to play paintball with me?"

"Yeah," he'd nodded with a wide grin on his face. "I heard it's really fun."

According to the information on the flyer, it was a competition between two teams comprising of ten people each. Based on a toss-coin, a team will be guarding a flag while the other will be trying to take it for thirty or so minutes. Chan wasn't sure it was a good idea. "Do you even know how to play paint"ball?"

"Nope!" He'd beamed at her. "But it's pretty easy enough. You aim and pull the trigger. Dan and I do it in video games a lot."

_And you assume that a video game is tantamount to an actual game?_

Nevertheless, she'd sighed and promised to go with him.

"Now," the Chinese girl sighed to herself. "Which shampoo do I get?"

* * *

><p>Alice stared at the piece of paper with a scribbled address in her hands. Before she'd left her brother's house (due to the whole beating-up-Shun fiasco), she asked him if he knew Fabia Sheen on a personal level.<p>

"A bit," he'd replied. "Her family's wood works are top class. As far as I've been with her, I've only had the pleasure of watching her be an effective spokesperson. She seems rather nice though."

She bit her lip. The other female seemed frightening to her, but she was indeed an effective speaker. At some insane point in her return to the apartment she shared with Runo, the red head decided that she wanted to talk to the green-eyed girl. Masquerade knew enough to give the address of her office, or rather, where she was residing.

_28th Floor, Burma Wing..._

The elevator opened with a ping that was too loud for her tastes. It made her extremely self-aware.

_What do I even say to her? 'Hey, my name's Alice Gehabich and I want to be friends with you'? That'll sound awkward..._

Before she knew it, the Burma wing was already in front of her; she remembered the receptionist saying that Fabia Sheen lived in the third door to the right. Alice found it to be too close for her tastes. Alice stood in front of the door and searched her brain for anything that she could tell the other female.

_The other and highly intimidating female..._

With a sigh, she knocked on the door and heard a loud answer of 'coming!' from the other side.

When the door opened, Alice couldn't tell who was more surprised, her or Fabia.

"Miss Gehabich," she greeted with a smile as she opened the door. "What brings you here?"

There was no spite or any amount of sarcasm in her tone. She was genuinely curious.

"Ah well..." Alice fiddled with her sleeves. "I just... I wanted to talk..."

Fabia's eyes widened momentarily, but she nodded, indicating that she got the message. "Alright then. Please come in. My house is a bit messy."

True to her words, the living area had a litter of plates on the coffee table beside a single laptop that had already-fading keys, blankets all over and pillows on the carpeted floor. The mistress of the house cleaned as she went, but decided to just dump it all in a hamper that happened to be nearby. She blushed as she turned around to look at Alice. "I'm sorry. Cleaning up has never been my strongest suit..."

"Oh," Alice almost smiled, but figured that it would be rude. "That's alright..."

"I'm sorry," Fabia then said. "About the kiss... I'm sorry that you had to find out about it from an underhanded manner."

_I knew about it all along..._

"I... It's alright really," Alice said and she meant it. She and Shun weren't really attached to one another in the same way Fabia and he were. She could never hope to measure to this green-eyed female right in front of her. She was a class of her own and Alice... was plain Alice Gehabich who got away with a lot of things because she was pretty and irresistible. "I know what you two were to each other."

"Yes well..." Fabia looked away in embarrassment. "I have no excuse for kissing him back. To be honest, I really did miss him."

"I think having that kind of honesty is admirable," she told her. "Not a lot of people would admit that in similar circumstances..."

"And I think that it's bizarre how you're not lashing out at me and screaming bloody murder because I kissed your boyfriend," Fabia commented.

"To tell you the truth," Alice said, cutting her short, "Shun and I aren't really in a relationship. We just... entered a mutual agreement that we would pretend to be in a relationship. He wanted to forget about you so I volunteered to be your replacement and in exchange, he'll keep me from getting married to Klaus."

Fabia cringed at that. "I suppose it's only normal for you to not want Klaus tied to you forever. Shun happened to be there at the right time when you needed him."

Alice nodded. "You were supposed to be married to Klaus too?"

"Yes," Fabia nodded. "But my father had enough sense to forbid. _I'd rather have Fabia marry a goat to save the business if it falls_, he said. You can guess how Klaus acted after that."

Alice chuckled and said, "I wasn't there when my brother broke the news to him, but I guess he was pretty angry then too."

"Yes well that would be putting it gently." Fabia nodded before she stood up and said apologetically, "I'm sorry; I'm not being a good host. Is there anything you'd like to drink?"

"Coffee will do."

* * *

><p>"So you're giving us two amateurs on the team?" A bulky man with purplish hair and a goatee by the name of Fred complained to the coordinator of the game. "I had a lot of money put into this game and you're letting amateurs in?"<p>

"No one told you to bet, Fred," the coordinator said with a wave. And Fred scratched his head and told the two, "Since you're both new to the entire thing. I'll just have you guard the flag if we play the guarding role. If we get the attacking role, I want you to steer clear from the opponents."

Chan and Joe nodded as they finished putting on their protective gear: vest, mask, goggles and gloves. They were handed their markers and given a crash course on how it works. It's like a normal gun but does way more damage on bare skin.

"If someone shoots you anyplace that ain't the chest area or leg area, remember the number on their armband," Fred motioned at the armband strapped on his left upper arm. On the red canvas were the characters '09'. "There will be refill of ammo everywhere, so be sure to keep an eye out for them. Especially if you're trigger happy."

Joe was absorbing everything religiously. Chan didn't need to fully rely on her paintball marker; she could use her fists since there was no rule saying they couldn't use other known methods of fighting. Joe tapped on her leg and asked, "So we stick together?"

She nodded. "I should be the one saying that..." She was given the number 05 while Joe was 10. They were to stick together since she didn't know what kind of underhanded methods those from the opposing team would try. They put on their makeshift helmets and gloves and got inside the ware house that was to be the starting point. Even with his helmet on, it was easy to read Joe's body language. He was practically skipping from one foot to another. Fred had to physically put him down with a hand on his shoulder.

The game organizer took out a coin and held it up for all to see. While Chan and Joe belonged to the red team, hence the red armbands, the other team was yellow and they seemed to be more... organized to a fault. Taking up a megaphone, the announcer tossed the coin into the air. "Red is head; yellow is tail." He caught it with one hand and flattened it on his palm. Removing his hand, he announced "It's a head!"

Fred made a sound from the back of his throat and accepted the flag from one of the other organizers.

"Red team, please follow that girl in a hot red spandex suit over there so she can take you to the base; yellow team follow that slob in the muddy yellow jacket for the starting point."

From there, the red team was brought to a van where they could all fit and they drove through the foliage for a bit. The terrain in itself wasn't really thick or dense, but there were trees that could be used for hiding.

Their base was a shed made of bricks and a few benches and some paintball packs. Fred took off his mask and pointed to numbers 19, 07, 26 and 55.

"The four of you go east," he commanded and pointed to both Chan and Joe. "You two stay here while the rest of us go off and try to finish as many as we can. We just have to keep the flag for thirty minutes and we'll win. And I get my money back." He muttered the last part softly before putting his helmet back on and signalling them to leave.

Chan pushed up the visor of her motorcycle helmet. "Did he say we can't take it from this place?"

"Nope," Joe said, muffled as he forgot to lift off the visor of his own helmet. "Wanna take a walk?"

"Okay but you're holding the flag," she told him.

* * *

><p>Alice practically cackled as Fabia told her about the time when she spat milk all over her father's potential business partner.<p>

"He was _furious_!" Fabia said as she sipped absently on her matcha. "I was five then so my father just laughed it off. I don't even know why he wanted me to come with him."

Shrugging, the red head offered, "Maybe because he wanted you to learn the ropes?"

She shrugged. "Well I doubt I'd ever be able to remember what they were talking about. My father had the weirdest thoughts." Fabia absently took a pillow from the hamper and placed it on her lap. Alice figured that it was something she did by instinct. "I think this is a bit funny though," she suddenly said.

"What is?"

"That you're here and actually enjoying my company," the green-eyed girl shrugged. "A lot of people find me to be intimidating."

"Well you are," Alice said and Fabia playfully gave her a look.

"I think Shun did better when he chose you to be a replacement for me."

"All he ever does is talk about you," the red head poined out, rather sadly; too sad for her tastes. "I don't think I'm going to be effective enough."

Fabia shrugged. "I think he's just confused. He doesn't really know what he wants. He saw his mother in me and you," she paused a bit to gauge for any indication that she was offended or anything to that extent. When she saw none, she continued, "You were someone who was there conveniently found when he lost me."

"You and his mother did look a lot alike," she mentioned.

"Yeah," the green-eyed girl nodded. "But he had to know that I'm not his mom. I'm sure at one point, he came to terms that I'm not his mom, but I felt like he never really separated the image of his mom he saw in me. And when he asked me to marry him, I knew I had to stop it there and then."

"But," Alice exhaled. "Would you want to get back together with him?"

"That depends," Fabia said thoughtfully. "Right now, I really enjoy my life without him. It's not that I didn't enjoy playing mother for him, but I just... I prefer being my own person better. If he sees that then maybe I can consider having him back. I loved him for so long, Alice and it wouldn't be hard to rekindle that again."

"I know," the red head nodded. "I know."

"Why do you ask?"

"Like I've said," Alice stared at her coffee rather than Fabia's face. For some reason, she still felt rather intimidated when confronted with the other female's intent face. "You're the only one he talks about. He said he wanted to move on from you, but I can see that he just wants you back."

"Alice-,"

"You don't have to mend things with him immediately," Alice cut in. "It will take time; I know. But I think he'd be happier with you."

Fabia's eyes narrowed. She studied the Russian. She was holding a reclusive posture, as if hiding something and slouching slightly. Her hands gripped at the side of her mug and she had this far away look in her eyes. "Did something happen between you and Shun?" It was a shot in the dark, but she pulled the trigger anyway. And when Alice tensed momentarily, the green-eyed girl knew she was right.

"Yes," the red head replied in a timid voice. And she was thankful enough that Fabia didn't pry any further.

An exhale and the green-eyed girl sipped on her matcha. "I won't pry to that, but I can't say that I can do anything about Shun, Alice. As much as I don't want other people to suffer for my sake, I also don't want to end up as an unhappy martyr. I know it's being selfish, but if I can't get the most of my life, then what's the point really?"

Alice understood; she could relate to that. "I understand," she said. "But I know that Shun will be happier with you."

Fabia blushed at that. "We can't say that for sure..."

The red head smiled and settled her mug down on the coffee table. "Well, I suppose I'll be going now."

Fabia stood up and asked, "Do you want me to ask someone to bring you home?"

"Oh that's okay..." Alice smiled. "I'll just go and take a cab."

"I'll walk with you outside then."

After locking the door, Fabia went with Alice to the elevator. "I had fun today," the Russian red head said. "We should probably do this again."

She seemed to like the idea and nodded. "I'm sure someone else would be happy to take care of the papers for me once in a while. Just give me a call if anything happens okay?"

Alice nodded and called a cab. She got inside shut the door and waved goodbye to Fabia.

_Now then... Is there anything from Shun?_

Flipping her phone open, she saw the message icon at the top of her screen. One was from her brother and the other was from Shun.

_"Alice, I'd like to talk to you tomorrow... I'll be at Crest when it closes..._

_-Shun"_

_I wonder if I'm prepared for this..._

* * *

><p>Chan kicked another one to the ground; making a total of two participants from the yellow team. She lifted her visor and asked "Are you okay?"<p>

"Yeah," he replied while pushing his visor up as well. "But I think you should hold the flag. I can't shoot with it in my hands."

"But the point is for you to not shoot anything," Chan pointed out. "That's why I'm here right?"

"I would've taken them out if I could stop worrying about the flag..." he said.

She thought about that for a moment, all the while watching his obstinate face from the space provided by the motorcycle helmet. Relenting, Chan took the flag and handed him her paintball marker. "You'll hit twice as many people with that."

Joe grinned and nodded as they continued. They'd been walking around for at least fifteen minutes. So far these two are the only ones they've encountered. And the game will be finished in about a few more minutes.

There was rustling to their left and out of instinct, they tensed but kept on walking with Joe in front. Chan would undoubtedly be the target and that was what they were after. They kept on walking, but the brunette readied his markers just in case. When they were close enough for her to hear their footsteps, she turned and they lunged at her and the flag in her hands. Joe emptied nearly an entire pack at them but they didn't seem to mind.

Chan sidestepped and they fell on their face. Joe wasted no time in leaping over them and headed back to the shed.

They ran through the foliage and the small branches. When they got to the shed, they saw five members of the yellow team sitting on the bench of their shed. Briefly she wondered if the others have seen this or have caught wind of this. She ducked into a nearby bush and pushed Joe down along with her. Mentally, the Chinese girl counted the odds. She could take on one or two of them, but she'd probably be overdone by the other three. She turned to Joe; no matter how much he had in that marker, they probably won't be able to take care of all five.

Then again they could just hide and engage when they're about to be confronted. That plan sat better with her than the first one.

But suddenly, they started dispersing and Chan could curse under her breath, but she needed to come up with a plan as two people were coming towards their direction. She had to make sure they'd go down with the others not knowing or noticing.

_Wow this is great... We might lose ten more minutes until the end of the game..._

She slightly lifted her visor and told Joe, "I'll lure the two of them away and you shoot them with guns. That'll attract the others so start running circles around them okay?"

"What about you?" He lifted his visor but whispered.

"I'll be fine," she told him. "Just run in circles, make sure you lose them and shoot every now and then."

He nodded and Chan immediately stood up, and ran to the opposite direction of the shed. True to that, the other two saw her and gave chase. She could only hope that Joe remembered to shoot before running in circles. True to that she heard the tell tale sound of the ammo hitting the protective vests. The two pursuing her turned their heads towards Joe's direction before remembering that they were chasing after the one with the flag, shooting ammo that missed. That gave Chan enough time to get a head start.

She ran into another one, just as she planned. The newcomer stretched out his arms at her and attempted to get her in a bear hug, but she ducked and struck his stomach with an open palm of her free hand. As she suspected, he fell back a few steps and it took time for him to recover; even though the ones behind her have caught up, she had enough time to temporarily incapacitate them before knocking the other one unconscious.

Chan grabbed the pole with both hands at the middle part and swung it at them. The two tried to grab it from her, but she made sure to gain enough momentum to hit them on their bellies, keeping them from firing their markers. before following a kick on the one at her right and a strike to the jaw with her palm on the one to her left. She heard the one behind her getting up and readying his marker. Chan didn't give him enough time to get it loaded and sent him flying to the tree behind him with a kick from her left foot.

She then proceeded to go back to the shed. There should be two left and she had to hurry to keep Joe from being completely chased down by them. The Chinese girl jumped over brambles and small bushes before running back with all her might. She wasn't used to running, but her legs were pretty strong. Chan supposed that would be enough.

Joe was running around and emptying his ammo on the two as he kept on shooting behind him as he ran. Chan smiled as she jumped on one and knocked him out with an open-palmed strike to the jaw. From behind her, the other one took off his helmet and tried to hit her with it. Thankfully, the warning bell rang from the warehouse and her assaulter paused; it was enough time for Joe to sneak up behind him and knocked him out with the end of the air tank.

He took off his helmet and smiled an absolutely ecstatic and contagious smile that made her do the same as well.

"So," she started as the took off her helmet as well. Hair clung to her cheeks with sweat, but she didn't mind at all. "Are we going to keep more secrets from your mom?"

"Oh this is just the beginning," he smirked and heard footsteps approaching them. It was the other members of the red team who were dumbfounded at the sight of two men lying by Joe's and Chan's feet.

* * *

><p>After the formal awarding, Fred invited them all out for a beer, but the two under-aged teenagers had to decline.<p>

"Let's play again when you're old enough to drink!" He told them as they left.

"I suppose that was fun," Chan smiled as they walked the length back to the residential area. "You're quite trigger happy though."

"Cut me some slack; that was my first time," Joe sighed. "So what do we do next?"

She shrugged. "Maybe go to school tomorrow?"

He turned slightly pink at that. "Oh yeah... We do have that, don't we?"

Lightening the mood, the Chinese girl chuckled. "You were pretty excited back there."

"I've_ never _snuck out to do something I'm not supposed to." He intoned carefully. "Ever!"

"Hence the excitement."

"It was just so..." he paused and struggled to find the words. "Enthralling... I just... I wish I could've done that sooner."

She stopped walking there and then, making the wind go through her slightly damp hair (she took a shower before leaving the place). Joe stopped a few seconds later and turned to her questioningly. "What?"

"Why didn't you?" She asked him. "Why didn't you do it sooner?"

Joe gave her another smile, one that made her rather self-conscious and meek. She was suddenly aware that her clothes were too baggy and that her hair was an unflattering mess on top of her head. She fiddled with her fingers from under the sleeves of her hoodie and refused to look at anywhere else but the sidewalk.

_Curse my lack of experience with men!_

The excuse worked well with her but not when Joe gently took her wrist and held it in his hands, and even though it hung awkwardly in midair, Chan could feel the heat rising to her cheeks and the compelling need to look him in the eyes.

_Don't be such a coward Chan! This is impolite..._

Slowly, the Chinese girl raised her eyes and met his. They were brown, she noted, under the fluorescent light of the streetlamp. They were much like hers but gentler and lighter in color. When she found a comfortable pace, she realized that they were just standing there and not saying anything. "Joe?" She tilted her head in askance.

"Well," he said sheepishly. "It's... Well... I guess having someone sneak out with me made me feel less guilty about sneaking out..."

"An acceptable answer."

"But also because," he cut her short, a determined look in his face dissolving to allow for a gentle smile to cross his features. "I got to do it with a friend."

Something stirred in her and she was almost afraid to find out because it made her heart beat madly against her ribs and made everything go in slow motion like in those absurd and overrated action movies that people like to go to nowadays. Perhaps it was adrenaline?

_But why would I need adrenaline here? The game is over..._

Before she could have the time to dwell on it further, Joe gently tugged at her sleeve and said, "Come on. I'm hungry..."

Absently, she nodded and stared long and hard at the part of the hoodie that he held. She flexed her fingers reflexively and fell into place beside Joe. While it felt oddly unnatural to her, it also felt rather... comforting.

And she swore that she wouldn't forget that feeling in a long time.

* * *

><p><strong>La vie en rose literally means life in pink, but the idea is to depict a state where things are cheerful andor pink in a mood context... XD Oh and it's French... I learned it in a song I'm planning to make a cover of...**

**I have never played paintball before so I made up the game and the mechanics mostly... But the other things, are a bit... uh... factual I guess? I mean wikipedia's not the best source, but I also searched YouTube for it... Anyway, Alice and Chan chapter... Yay~! XD**

**I didn't initially plan for Alice and Fabia to be friends but with all the hate, I figured 'meh' and suddenly it came to this and I'm a bit satisfied... XD As for the Joe-Chan, I oddly encounter a discouraging writer's block when writing them, but thankfully it's short and not-so potent...**

**Anyway, please feel free to click the REVIEW button and feel free to convey your deepest darkest thoughts about the contents of this chapter as it is greatly appreciated by the author.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**chquine_harvinellisse**


End file.
